UFC Live 4 Bonuses: Kongo, Lauzon, Lentz, Oliveira Take $50K Each

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Cheick Kongo, Joe Lauzon, Nik Lentz and Charles Oliveira each left Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center with an extra $50,000 on Sunday for their performances at UFC Live 4 “Kongo vs. Barry.”

UFC officials announced the bonuses during the show’s post-fight press conference.

In one of the most remarkable comebacks of the year, Kongo struggled back from the verge of consciousness to flatten Pat Barry with the clear-cut “Knockout of the Night” in the evening’s makeshift heavyweight headliner. The 36-year-old Frenchman appeared to be down for the count after being felled by a big overhand right from Barry just two minutes into the opening round. Though Barry swarmed and referee Dan Miragliotta appeared on the verge of halting the fight, Kongo managed to get back to his feet. Once there, he uncorked a lights-out right uppercut which put a scary end to Barry’s night at 2:39 of the first frame.

Lauzon’s “Submission of the Night” award came under considerably less dire circumstances, as the 27-year-old Massachusetts native never looked in trouble against English lightweight Curt Warburton. Following a brief feeling out, “J-Lau” tagged Warburton with a one-two and gave chase to the ground, where he locked up a topside kimura on the Wolfslair Academy fighter’s right arm. Lauzon fell to his back, wrenching the arm and securing the hold with a triangle, forcing Warburton to capitulate at 1:58 of the opening round.

Oliveira, 21, and Lentz, 26, already seemed well on the way to “Fight of the Night” honors when their 155-pound scrap came to a foul-marred end in the second period. The wrestler Lentz scored takedowns and had a deep guillotine attempt in the first stanza, but was forced to constantly defend against Oliveira’s active guard. For his part, the Brazilian dropped “The Carny” with a right hand and nearly choked Lentz out with a modified anaconda choke.

Early in the second round, Oliveira landed an illegal knee strike to the head of the kneeling Lentz. The fight might have been halted there, but referee Chip Snider apparently missed the foul and allowed the action to continue. Oliveira softened Lentz up further with punches before submitting him with a rear-naked choke at 1:48 of the second, a result sure to be reviewed by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission.