Anderson Silva connects on Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Photo by Dave Mandel.
A sizeable chunk of the $3.55 million gate from UFC 101 “Declaration” on Saturday went into middleweight champion and pound-for-pound ace
Anderson Silva’s wallet.
Silva banked a pair of $60,000 post-fight bonuses -- “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” -- after he throttled former light heavyweight champion
Forrest Griffin in the opening round of their co-main event, stopping him with a short straight right hand 3:23 into the match. A crowd of 17,411 was on hand to witness Silva’s virtuoso performance, according to UFC President Dana White. In two UFC appearances at 205 pounds, Silva has dispatched Griffin and
James Irvin in a combined 4:24.
The 34-year-old Brazilian, now positioned for a rematch with two-time Olympian
Dan Henderson at middleweight, extended his record for consecutive victories inside the Octagon to 10. He has finished eight of his 10 bouts since he entered the UFC in June 2006, five of them inside one round. Griffin, who pocketed a $60,000 bonus for his troubles, had never been finished so quickly.
Meanwhile, UFC lightweight champion
B.J. Penn banked a $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he finished top contender
Kenny Florian with a fourth-round rear-naked choke. The 30-year-old Hawaiian has not lost at 155 pounds since he was outpointed by
Jens Pulver at UFC 35 in January 2002.
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