The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale from "The Pearl" at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, has officially wrapped.
That of course means that it’s time for those select fighters who went above and beyond in their respective fights to get a little extra grease for their efforts. And tonight the promotion waded into uncharted territory, dishing out three "Fight of the Night" bonuses in addition to its usual honors.
Of course, the lightweight war between Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida was recognized -- it was a thrilling barnburner from bell to bell as advertised. "Nightmare" threw everything but a 2X4 at "The Carpenter" in the first round and he still kept coming.
It was an unbelievable display of heart and determination. Instant classic.
The back-and-forth slugfest between welterweights Chris Lytle and Kevin Burns, as well as the grappling clinic that Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz put on, were also singled out. Both fights couldn't have been any more different, but treats to watch nonetheless.
"Submission of the Night" went to Jason Dent for tapping out fellow TUF 9 castmate Cameron Dollar with an anaconda choke, according to Steve Cofield at Yahoo!Sports.com, and Tomasz Drwal earned "Knockout of the Night" -- the only stoppage via strikes on the card -- with his first round stoppage of Mike Ciesnolevicz.
Here are the special fight bonuses for TUF 9 Finale:
Fights of the Night -- Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida; Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns; Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz
Knockout of the Night -- Tomasz Drwal
Submission of the Night -- Jason Dent
Each fighter received $25,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will pass along as soon as possible.
For complete TUF 9 Finale results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.