It was the stars of South Florida who took center stage last night (Sun., July 12, 2015) inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when American Top Team (ATT) and the Blackzilians finally learned who would pick up the lofty $300,000 grand prize, as well some extra cash in the way of $50,000 performance bonus checks.
Spoiler alert: It was the Blackzilians.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) doled out its customary post-fight monetary bonuses to four of the 22 fighters on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 21 finale card on FOX Sports 1. Among those men honored was one half of the welterweight headliner Stephen Thompson, TUF 21 welterweight winner Kamaru Usman, fellow TUF alum Josh Samman, and veteran slugger Jorge Masvidal.
Coming into his main event spot against Jake Ellenberger, "Wonderboy" was just a heralded Karate master with highlight-reel knockout power, but he had yet to pick up a signature win. Well, Thompson proved himself and then some against the top-10 welterweight Ellenberger, shutting the latter's lights off with a spinning hook kick in the first frame (recap here).
Not to be outdone, Usman won big for the Blackzilians, picking up a six-figure payday for his thrilling second-round, arm-triangle choke submission victory (recap here) over the always-game Hayder Hassan.
TUF 17 star Samman, as well as "Gamebred," each pocketed an extra $50,000 for their explosive first-round finishes of Caio Magalhaes and Cezar Ferreira, respectively.
There was no bonus award given out for "Fight of the Night."
After all, the finale saw just one fight go to a decision, capping off an incredible weekend of fights in "Sin City."
Here are the special TUF 21 finale bonuses:
Performance of the Night -- Stephen Thompson
Performance of the Night -- Kamaru Usman
Performance of the Night -- Jorge Masvidal
Performance of the Night -- Josh Samman
Again, each fighter received $50,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) will disclose later this week.
For more on the TUF 21 finale fallout including live results and play-by-play click here.