Outside Source
Waldo Cortes-Acosta did well on short notice at UFC Qatar. | Getty/UFC
Stepping up to fight at UFC Qatar proved to be quite profitable for Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
“Salsa Boy” received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to a quick finish of Shamil Gaziev in their featured heavyweight matchup on Saturday at ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar. A late replacement for Serghei Spivac, Cortes-Acosta rocked his foe with a right hand at short range and then dropped Gaziev with a massive overhand right shortly thereafter. One largely unnecessary follow-up blow sealed the victory 1:22 into Round 1.
Elsewhere, Arman Tsarukyan made a triumphant return to the Octagon, submitting Dan Hooker in Saturday’s lightweight main event after more than a year-and-a-half absence. The former No. 1 contender grounded his adversary in the second stanza, eventually moved to mount and secured an arm-triangle choke to elicit a tapout at the 3:34 mark of the second frame. That was enough to earn Tsarukyan a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his efforts.
Second Stint Magic and a Debut to Remember
To begin the main card, Kyoji Horiguchi kicked off his second UFC stint by choking out Tagir Ulanbekov in a flyweight clash — earning a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” payout in the process. The former Rizin and Bellator champion gradually imposed his will over the course of the bout before rendering his foe unconscious with a rear-naked choke 2:18 into the third period.
Finally, promotional newcomer Luke Riley garnered the card’s fourth and final $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus with a scintillating knockout of Bogdagn Grad in a preliminary featherweight pairing. After struggling in the opening stanza, the Brit dropped Grad with a left hook and punctuated his victory with ground-and-pound to force a stoppage 30 seconds into Round 2.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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