UFC St. Petersburg Bonuses: Makhachev, Tsarukyan, Pavlovich, Mustafaev Garner $50K

Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan were rewarded for their grappling-heavy battle in the UFC St. Petersburg co-main event on Saturday.

Makhachev and Tsarukyan received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece following a competitive lightweight scrap at Yubileyny Sports Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia. The combatants only combined to land 27 significant strikes, but attempted a total of 21 takedown attempts between them in a grueling affair. Ultimately, it was Makhachev who come out on top in a unanimous decision victory.

Elsewhere, Sergei Pavlovich notched his first Octagon victory in style, earning a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a knockout of Marcelo Golm in a featured heavyweight affair. Pavlovich wobbled his foe with an overhand right early, followed up with a flurry against the fence and sealed the victory with an uppercut just 66 seconds after the bout began.

Finally, Magomed Mustafaev captured the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check with a spectacular finish of Rafael Fiziev in the opening bout of the event. Mustafaev set his victory in motion with a spinning back kick to the jaw, and from there, a series of punches brought an end to the fight 86 seconds after it began.