UFC
UFC ON VERSUS 4 BONUSES: Kongo, Lauzon, Lentz and Oliveira each earn $50,000 bonuses in Pittsburgh
Jun 27, 2011 - 9:25:16 AM UFC ON VERSUS 4 BONUSES: Kongo, Lauzon, Lentz and Oliveira each earn $50,000 bonuses in Pittsburgh

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though it wasn't the originally planned main event, the heavyweight fight between Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo at UFC on Versus 4 wound up being a classic show closing fight, with Cheick Kongo making himself $50,000 richer with two vicious right hands that delivered the event's "Knockout of the Night."

Kongo was nearly finished in the fight after Barry dropped him multiple times in a short span that had referee Dan Miragliotta even stepping in and going as far as touching Barry on the back to stop it before he backed off at the last split second. But Kongo survived, and as Barry charged in after him, Kongo staggered him with a right to the temple and knocked him out cold with another one to the jaw. Coming just a few short moments after he looked out himself, Kongo delivered a classic comeback win and took home some bonus money.

Joining him in earning bonus money were a few fighters from the preliminary card, who each delivered exciting performances on the Facebook streamed portion of the card.

Joe Lauzon picked up his seventh bonus from a UFC event, and his fourth "Submission of the Night" in his destruction of Curt Warburton. After dropping Warburton with a couple of punches, Lauzon pounced on him on the ground. Warburton left an arm open, and Lauzon wrenched a nasty kimura and pulled to guard. He set his legs up for a triangle choke as well, but just used that position as a back-up and continued destroying Warburton's shoulder with the wrenching hold, finally forcing the tap.

The name Nik Lentz and the phrase "Fight of the Night" have certainly not been seen in the same sentence in regards to UFC events in the past, but that's just what Sunday night delivered. Lentz and Charles Oliveira put on a thrilling back and forth fight that, unfortunately, was marred by a vicious illegal blow that was missed by the referee live.

Both fighters locked on tight, near submissions in the first round of the fight, a back and forth affair that stands up next to any round of any fight for excitement, and each damaged the other into the second. Oliveira was the fresher fighter in the second, and looked to be more in control of the round, but then he delivered a brutal knee to the face of Lentz while Lentz still had his knees on the ground that changed the direction of the fight.

The crowd recognized the blow as illegal immediately, but the referee failed to halt the fight, and after Oliveira landed another knee to Lentz's face, he got him to the ground, took his back and submitted him with a rear naked choke. Oliveira was announced the victory by submission, but the refereee was chewed out in the cage by a commission official, and Joe Rogan announced that the commission informed him they would be reviewing this fight because of the referees mistake. Unfortunately for Oliveira, that will likely mean this fight gets turned into a "no contest," but now each of them have an extra $50,000 for their efforts.