Ellenberger, Waldburger, Benoist, Riddle Net $55K UFC Bonuses
Jake
Ellenberger, T.J.
Waldburger, Lance
Benoist and Matt Riddle
left the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans with
post-fight bonuses on Saturday, as each man pocketed an extra
$55,000 for his performance at UFC Fight
Night 25.
Riddle and Benoist shared “Fight of the Night” honors for their three-round welterweight affair, while Ellenberger (Pictured) and Waldburger took home “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night,” respectively. The event marked the UFC’s first appearance in Louisiana since 2002’s UFC 37.
Ellenberger wasted no time in handing former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Jake Shields his second loss in nearly six years, as “The Juggernaut” dropped his foe with a brutal knee to the head before pouncing with punches. Though Shields valiantly attempted to dive for a single-leg takedown, he could not escape the continuous punishment, forcing referee Kevin Mulhall into action after 53 seconds.
Waldburger rebounded nicely from his brutal knockout loss at the hands of Johny Hendricks by submitting UFC debutant Mike Stumpf with a triangle choke in just under four minutes. The 23-year-old jiu-jitsu stylist controlled the bout from start to finish, taking Stumpf’s back early in the round before locking up the triangle during a scramble minutes later.
In his Octagon debut, Benoist looked sharp early on, tagging Riddle with clean shots in the first frame. The second round proved more competitive, though Benoist still got the better of the most exchanges. Riddle landed likely the most meaningful strike of the bout in round two, however, as he smashed Benoist’s nose with a knee in the clinch. Round three belonged to Riddle, but it would prove too little, too late, as Benoist took home the unanimous decision.
Riddle and Benoist shared “Fight of the Night” honors for their three-round welterweight affair, while Ellenberger (Pictured) and Waldburger took home “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night,” respectively. The event marked the UFC’s first appearance in Louisiana since 2002’s UFC 37.
Ellenberger wasted no time in handing former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Jake Shields his second loss in nearly six years, as “The Juggernaut” dropped his foe with a brutal knee to the head before pouncing with punches. Though Shields valiantly attempted to dive for a single-leg takedown, he could not escape the continuous punishment, forcing referee Kevin Mulhall into action after 53 seconds.
Waldburger rebounded nicely from his brutal knockout loss at the hands of Johny Hendricks by submitting UFC debutant Mike Stumpf with a triangle choke in just under four minutes. The 23-year-old jiu-jitsu stylist controlled the bout from start to finish, taking Stumpf’s back early in the round before locking up the triangle during a scramble minutes later.
In his Octagon debut, Benoist looked sharp early on, tagging Riddle with clean shots in the first frame. The second round proved more competitive, though Benoist still got the better of the most exchanges. Riddle landed likely the most meaningful strike of the bout in round two, however, as he smashed Benoist’s nose with a knee in the clinch. Round three belonged to Riddle, but it would prove too little, too late, as Benoist took home the unanimous decision.
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