UFC Vegas 106 Bonuses: Strawweight KO Artist Denise Gomes Pockets $50K

Denise Gomes is quickly climbing the leaderboard when it comes to knockout victories in the strawweight division.

The hard-hitting Brazilian received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for her latest effort — a second-round stoppage of Elise Reed in a preliminary contest at UFC Vegas 106 on Saturday night. Gomes rattled Reed with heavy punches early in the second stanza, putting her overwhelmed adversary away 30 seconds into the period. Gomes is now tied for the second-most KO/TKO victories in UFC strawweight history with three.

Meanwhile, Michael Morales captured the evening’s other $50,000 performance bonus with a first-round finish of Gilbert Burns in the evening’s main event. The Ecuadorian talent put his hands to work early and often, and after he thwarted Burns’ attempt to bring the fight to the mat, Morales dropped his foe for a second time to force the stoppage 3:39 into Round 1.

Finally, Melquizael Costa and Julian Erosa earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their spirited featherweight clash. While Costa hurt Erosa early, the Xtreme Couture member continued to press forward until the final horn, which made for plenty of entertaining exchanges over the course of 15 minutes. Ultimately, Costa emerged with a unanimous decision triumph.