Quarry, Credeur Lead UFC Fight Night Bonuses

Two of the oldest competitors on the UFC Fight Night lineup provided the most memorable fight, and they received handsome rewards for their efforts.

Nate Quarry, 37, and Tim Credeur, 32, pocketed matching $30,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses after they engaged one another in a riveting three-round battle before a crowd of 7,500 on Wednesday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. The event drew a $650,000 gate, according to UFC officials.

Quarry, who once challenged Rich Franklin for the UFC middleweight championship, earned a unanimous nod from the judges after surviving a harrowing first round. Spawned by the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Quarry has posted four wins in five fights since his knockout loss to Franklin at UFC 56. Credeur, meanwhile, saw his six-fight winning streak grind to a halt.

Quarry and Credeur were not the only fighters to leave the arena a little heavier in the wallet.

Nate Diaz banked a $30,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he coaxed a tapout from Melvin Guillard with a modified guillotine choke in the second round of their main event. The 24-year-old Diaz finished Guillard 2:13 into round two after the Louisianan left his neck exposed on a reckless takedown.

Finally, Jeremy Stephens picked up a $30,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus after he stopped Justin Buchholz on a first-round cut. The lightweight affair lasted just 3:32, as Stephens put the brakes on a two-fight skid.