Diego Sanchez and Gilbert Melendez stole the show at UFC 166 and they were rewarded handsomely for their efforts.
The two popular lightweights earned $60,000 bonuses for Fight of the Night after putting on a three-round slugfest that was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining fights in UFC history. The longtime Strikeforce champion, Melendez, won a unanimous decision in an absurdly wild, bloody affair.
“That’s the greatest fight I’ve ever seen in my life,” UFC commentator Joe Rogan said after the final horn sounded.
Sanchez, the first ever Ultimate Fighter winner and a nine-year veteran of the UFC, took worlds of punishment throughout the bout, but got more intense and aggressive the longer the fight went on. In the third round, he dropped Melendez with an uppercut that lifted fans at the Toyota Center in Houston out of their seats.
Melendez landed 98 strikes in the fight, while Sanchez connected on 42 of his own. What the bout lacked in technical fluidity it more than made up for in sheer entertainment.
In addition to Sanchez, two other TUF winners were rewarded for their performances.
TUF 14’s John Dodson earned $60,000 for Knockout of the Night after he flattened Darrell Montague with a series of crisp punches in the first round of their flyweight bout.
TUF 13’s Tony Ferguson won the $60,000 bonus for Submission of the Night. Ferguson, who hadn’t fought in nearly 18 months, finished Mike Rio with a first-round d’arce choke on the preliminary card.
The attendance for UFC 166 was 17,238 with the event generating a gate of US$2.5 million.
