UFC 279 Bonuses: Irene Aldana Earns $50K for Rarely-Seen Finish

Irene Aldana made history and padded her bank account in the process at UFC 279.

The Lobo Gym MMA representative became just the third UFC fighter to finish a bout with an upkick — and the first to do so by going to the body — when she dispatched Macy Chiasson with a heel kick to the liver from her back 2:21 into the third round of their 140-pound catchweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. That effort earned Aldana of $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus — one of four handed out by the promotion.

Meanwhile, Nate Diaz garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award thanks to his submission of Tony Ferguson in the evening’s welterweight main event. The Stockton, Calif., upped the volume of his punching combinations in Round 4, forcing Ferguson to shoot for a takedown. That allowed Diaz to lock in a guillotine choke and force a tapout at the 2:52 mark of the period.

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Elsewhere, Johnny Walker showcased his grappling ability against Ion Cutelaba, and it paid off in the form of a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check. Walker was able to scramble to Cutelaba’s back after being taken down, and that ultimately led to a rear-naked choke victory at the 4:37 mark of Round 1.

Finally, Jailton Almeida captured the evening’s final “Performance of the Night” bonus by keeping his Octagon finishing streak alive against Anton Turkalj. The Brazilian grounded his foe early, threatened with an arm-triangle and then used ground-and-pound to create an opening for a rear-naked choke 4:27 into the opening stanza. Almeida has finished all three of his UFC foes inside of a round.