Biggest favorite gets $50K, biggest ‘dog shut out for KO

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to the card’s biggest betting favorite, but Sam Patterson, who has overwhelming odds of 12-1 against him to win by knockout, wasn’t good enough for a bonus for his KO.

After UFC Fight Night 253, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Fight of the Night: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics

Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Nasrat Haqparast (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Esteban Ribovics (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) put on a thrilling slugfest at lightweight in the middle of the main card. Haqparast, an underdog in the fight, won for the fifth straight time, four of which have been decisions.

Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics

Performance of the Night: Mario Pinto

Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:39

Mario Pinto (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was a heavy favorite in his promotional debut at heavyweight against Austen Lane (13-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC), but he struggled with some potential UFC jitters. But quickly into the second round, he landed a cannon and put Lane’s lights out.

Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane, UFC Fight Night 253 (via UFC)

Performance of the Night: Manel Kape

Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:16

Manel Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) got away with a pair of eye scrapes against Asu Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the main event, the second of which seemed to directly lead to his TKO finish. But before that, he was mostly rolling and with the win, called for a flyweight title shot – which would be a rematch of a previous loss to Alexandre Pantoja before he became champ.

Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev, UFC Fight Night 253 (via UFC)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.