UFC Fight Night London Bonuses: Bisping, Silva, Askham, Packalen Earn $50K

The UFC Fight Night London headliner had a little bit of everything: drama, controversy and even a poignant ending with the combatants embracing in the center of the Octagon.

For that, Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva were an easy choice to receive $50,000 apiece for “Fight of the Night.” In the end, a bloodied Bisping weathered adversity to capture a hard-fought unanimous verdict over “The Spider” at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. Despite suffering a potentially devastating knockdown at the end of round three, “The Count” relied on volume, consistent movement and durability to garner a trio of 48-47 scorecards from the cageside judges.

Meanwhile, Scott Askham showed off his striking prowess against Chris Dempsey to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check. After losing much of the opening stanza, the 27-year-old Englishman connected with a straight left hand that had Dempsey on wobbly legs. Moments later, Askham flattened his foe with a left high kick on the chin to bring an end to the middleweight contest 4:45 into the opening frame.

Teemu Packalen captured the card’s other $50,000 performance award by making short work of Octagon newcomer Thibault Gouti in a preliminary lightweight duel. Packalen floored his adversary with an uppercut at the outset of the bout and pounced for the finish with punches from half guard. When Gouti attempted to return to his feet, Packalen transitioned to a rear-naked choke to secure the tapout just 24 seconds after the fight began.