UFC
UFC 187 Bonuses: Champs Weidman, Cormier earn extra $50K each, as do Arlovski and Browne for wild brawl
May 24, 2015 - 10:25:38 AM UFC 187 Bonuses: Champs Weidman, Cormier earn extra $50K each, as do Arlovski and Browne for wild brawl

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's UFC 187 event had a lot to like on paper, but it was the main card that lived up to its billing in a big way.

That's evidenced by the $50,000 bonuses that were handed out by the UFC after the events. The two exiting Champions - Chris Weidman and Daniel Cormier - along with the participants of the year's craziest brawl in Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski, all received post-fight bonus money for their efforts.

Weidman and Cormier took their victories by force in the top two fights on the card, weathering early storms from Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson, respectively, to finish their opponents. Weidman took a heavy rush of punches against the cage from Belfort, only to recover, take the challenger down, and beat him up until the referee stopped it.

As for Cormier, he survived a very early knockdown and some other offense from "Rumble," ultimately recovering to wear him down and exhaust him as the fight wore on. After a brutal series of elbows ended the second round, Cormier took advantage of the gassed Johnson in the third, scoring a rear naked choke for the victory to take the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

As for Browne and Arlovski, their nearly five minute fight was an insane battle, and earned them a more than justified "Fight of the Night" award. Browne got hurt and nearly stopped early, but as he was on wobbly legs he still managed to knock Arlovski down himself. He was too hurt to effectively capitalize, and Arlovski recovered himself to deliver even more offense to force the stoppage. It's an early candidate for "Fight of the Year," and one of the most entertaining one-round fights in MMA history.