UFC on ESPN 53 Bonuses: Andre Lima Receives $50K for ‘Bite of the Night’

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Andre Lima’s Ultimate Fighting Championship debut didn’t go exactly as planned, but he did earn some additional income for his troubles.

After earning a disqualification victory over Igor da Silva when his opponent bit his arm 2:52 into Round 2 of their preliminary flyweight bout at UFC on ESPN 53, Lima received a $50,000 “Bite of the Night” bonus from the Las Vegas-based promotion. This compensation was enhanced by the fact that Lima also got a tattoo to commemorate the moment on the spot where the bite occurred.

The UFC also handed out its more traditional bonuses on Saturday.

Payton Talbott and Fernando Padilla each received $50,000 “Performance of the Night” checks for finishes on the evening’s main card. Talbott overwhelmed Cameron Saaiman en route to a technical knockout victory 21 seconds into Round 2 of their bantamweight affair, while Padilla tapped out Luis Pajuelo with a brabo choke 2:45 into the opening stanza at featherweight.

Finally, Jarno Errens and Steven Nguyen earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their preliminary featherweight duel. While Nguyen was game throughout the contest, Errens imposed his will on the feet en route to a unanimous decision triumph.