UFC Fight Night Bonuses: Cruz, Dillashaw, Herman, Sanders Pocket $50K Checks

In a headliner that was too close to call, both Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw emerged $50,000 richer for their efforts.

The bantamweights received “Fight of the Night” honors for their hotly-contested battle in the UFC Fight Night Boston headliner at TD Garden on Sunday night, which Cruz ultimately won via split decision. Both men had their moments in the 25-minute affair, but Cruz, showing no ill effects from multiple knee surgeries over the past few years, confounded Dillashaw and racked up enough points to earn the nod from two of the three cageside judges.

Elsewhere, Ed Herman made a resounding debut at light heavyweight, garnering a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a second-round knockout of Tim Boetsch. After getting rocked by an overhand right in round one, “Short Fuse” dropped his opponent with a knee in the clinch in the second frame before sealing the victory with a few follow-up blows at the 1:39 mark.

Finally, Luke Sanders captured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by submitting Maximo Blanco in a preliminary featherweight affair. The end came when the unbeaten Sanders floored Blanco with a left hook, moved to his foe’s back and secured the rear-naked choke 3:38 into the initial stanza.