Ryan Benoit, Nik Lentz, Tai Tuivasa Gain Big Finishes At UFC Sydney; Bonuses, Attendance Announced
UFC Sydney didn't see many finishes, but one run of three fight saw all end in violent fashion.
Heavyweight Tai Tuisvasa landed a huge leg kick that set up a vicious KO of his heavyweight opponent Rashad Coulter, which you can check out above. The 24-year old former NRL Rugby League player was competing in his UFC debut in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. He'd previously competed for the Sydney Roosters rugby club.
Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks continued his disappointing run in the UFC, losing to Nik Lentz and moving to 1-3 in the company. The submission victory went down in round two,when a takedown attempt left Brooks' head wide open for a guillotine that Lentz locked on. Lentz, who formerly trained at American Top Team with Brooks, called out the camp after the fight.
“I gotta admit, I love ATT, it broke my heart that I had to leave, but they came after me with this fight,” Lentz said after the win “Dan Lambert, I got $50,000 that says there’s no one at ATT that can beat Nik Lentz. Money on the table, right now. Line them up, from the bottom to the top, like “Mortal Kombat.”
Elsewhere on the show, Ryan Benoit finished off Ashkan Mokhtarian with a big head kick in round three. Unfortunately for Benoit, he was one of four fighters to miss weight on the show and lost 20 percent of his purse.
Bonuses were also announced, with Randy Brown vs. Frank Camacho earning a rare "Fight of the Night" despite Camacho missing weight. The aforementioned Tuivasa and Lentz took home $50,000 "Performance of the Night" bonuses. In all, the event drew 10,021 fans.
You can see our full coverage of UFC Sydney at this link, and our quick post-show video recap at this link.
