UFC on ESPN 58 Bonuses: Tatsuro Taira Earns $50K for Main Event Finish

UFC on ESPN 58 was a memorable night for Tatsuro Taira in more ways than one.

Not only did the Japanese prospect earned his first main event triumph in UFC competition, but he also secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. Taira improved to 16-0 as a professional with a second-round technical knockout victory against Alex Perez on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Taira used a body triangle and back control to wrench his foe to the canvas, a maneuver that resulted in a knee injury for Perez at the 2:59 mark of Round 2.

Elsewhere, Brady Hiestand rallied from a second-round knockdown to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a submission triumph against Garrett Armfield in a featured bantamweight affair. Hiestand brought an end to the contest with a rear-naked choke at the 1:52 mark of Round 3.

Finally, Gabriella Fernandes and Carli Judice received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for putting on a striking show in their preliminary flyweight matchup. The two combatants combined for 288 significant strikes over the course of their three-round clash, the fifth-highest combined total in the history of their division. Ultimately, Fernandes emerged with a hard-fought split-decision triumph.