UFC Rio Rancho Bonuses: Jan Blachowicz Garners $50K for Emphatic KO Victory

Jan Blachowicz put a lasting stamp on a card that had been mostly memorable for all the wrong reasons.

The 36-year-old Pole earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round knockout of Corey Anderson in the UFC Fight Night 167 main event at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Saturday night. A right hook from Blachowicz sent Anderson to the canvas, and one follow-up hammerfist ended the contest at the 3:08 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Daniel Rodriguez received the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to his upset of of local favorite Tim Means in a preliminary welterweight affair. Rodriguez, who took the bout on short notice, floored “The Dirty Bird” at the end of the first round and hurt his opponent with punches again in Round 2 before securing a guillotine choke submission 3:37 into the period.

Finally, Scott Holtzman and Jim Miller garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their preliminary lightweight scrap. Miller took an early advantage in Round 1, but Holtzman picked up his offense over the bout’s final 10 minutes to earn a unanimous decision triumph.