UFC on Fox 19 Bonuses: Teixeira, Chiesa, ‘Capoeira,’ Akhmedov Pocket $50K Awards

Glover Teixeira put Rashad Evans to sleep, elevating his status in the light heavyweight division and making himself $50,000 richer in the process.

Teixeira received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round knockout of Evans in the UFC on Fox 19 headliner at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday night. The 36-year-old Brazilian pressured his foe to the fence before knocking him to the floor with a left hand to the jaw. As Evans attempted to return to his feet, Teixeira connected with a right hand that rendered him unconscious, ending the contest at the 1:48 mark.

Meanwhile, Michael Chiesa garnered the evening’s other $50,000 performance bonus for his back-and-forth lightweight scrap with Beneil Dariush. Dariush had his way early as he stunned Chiesa with a left hook and repeatedly chopped at his opponent’s legs with low kicks. Chiesa turned the tide in round two, however, stuffing a Dariush takedown and ultimately transitioning to his man’s back to secure the fight-ending rear-naked choke at the 1:20 mark of round two.

Finally, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Omari Akhmedov earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their curtain-jerking welterweight clash. The first two frames were competitive, with Akhmedov landing several takedowns. “Capoeira” picked up the pace in round three, as he twice hurt Akhmedov with punches before shoving him against the fence, where he put his foe away with a volley of elbows, punches and knees 3:30 into the period.