UFC on ESPN 43 Bonuses: C.J. Vergara, Daniel da Silva Earn ‘Fight of the Night’ Honors

Thanks to their barnburner in the second fight on the card at UFC on ESPN 43, C.J. Vergara and Daniel da Silva set a tone that nobody else could match.

As a result of their efforts, Vergara and da Silva received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece. Da Silva got off to a fast start in the opening stanza, when he dropped Vergara twice and had his opponent on the retreat for much of the frame. The tables turned in Round 2, as Vergara put away a fast-fading Da Silva with a barrage of ground-and-pound at the 4:04 mark of the period.

Meanwhile, Nate Landwehr earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his submission triumph over Austin Lingo in a featured featherweight contest. Landwehr dislodged his foe’s mouthguard with a punch from back control to create an opening for a fight-ending rear-naked choke 4:11 into the second stanza.

Finally, Daniel Pineda secured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a tapout of Tucker Lutz at featherweight. After hurting his adversary with a knee and transitioning to the back, Pineda was able to lock in a guillotine when Lutz initiated a scramble. The submission came 2:50 into Round 2.