The three judges scoring Priscila Cachoeira vs. Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Vegas 49 didn’t earn rave reviews, but promotion brass saw the bloody slugfest fit for a pair of bonuses.
The women’s flyweight bout earned “Fight of the Night” honors despite a controversial set of scorecards that disagreed with all but one media outlet (according to MMADecisions.com). The women will each receive $50,000 for their gutsy performances, which undoubtedly will help sooth the sting for Kim after her unanimous decision loss.
UFC Vegas 49 took place Saturday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and aired live on ESPN+.
The remaining bonuses were awarded to finishers on the card, which included co-headliner Wellington Turman. The Brazilian shocked Misha Cirkunov with an armbar in the second after a tough opening frame that saw him badly rocked by punches.
And earlier on the main card, Arman Tsarukyan re-affirmed his status as one to watch in the lightweight division with a dominant stoppage win over Joel Alvarez. Tsarukyan nearly brought the fight to an end in the first after landing an elbow that sliced open Alvarez’s nose and brought a flow of blood that covered parts of the canvas. It was his fifth straight win in the octagon.
