Kazakh mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Diyar Nurgozhai earned a special bonus thanks to an early victory at the UFC Fight Night tournament, reports infohub.kz.
The 29-year-old athlete competed in the preliminary card of the show in Las Vegas. He knocked out Brazilian Bruno Lopes with one second left in the first round of the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg).
The early win allowed Nurgozhai to receive a special bonus of $25,000 (about 11.5 million tenge at the current exchange rate).
Increased bonuses of $100,000 each went to four athletes. Brazilian Carlos Diego Ferreira and American Billy Quarantillo were named recipients of the "Fight of the Night" award. Their lightweight bout (up to 70.3 kg) lasted all three rounds. Ferreira won by unanimous decision.
Australian Quillan Salkilld and American Ty Miller each received a bonus for "Performance of the Night." They finished Polish fighter Mateusz Gamrot and another American, Billy Ray Goff, respectively.