UFC Saudi Arabia bonuses: Robert Whittaker, Volkan Oezdemir’s stunning knockouts lead list

Robert Whittaker added another bonus to his impressive collection.

The former middleweight champion stormed into the octagon Saturday at UFC Saudi Arabia and needed less than two minutes to dismiss short-notice opponent Ikram Aliskerov with a ferocious series of knockout punches. For his latest highlight, Whittaker was awarded with a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

It is the ninth post-fight bonus of Whittaker’s 22-fight UFC career, and he now owns the second-most bonuses in the middlweight division behind only the legendary Anderson Silva (12).

No Fight of the Night was awarded on Saturday, meaning three more Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out. Those $50,000 checks went to Shara Magomedov, Volkan Oezdemir, and Felipe Lima.

Magomedov shook off a slow start to outlast short-notice opponent Antonio Trocoli and deliver a powerful knockout in the third round. It was the second UFC win for “Shara Bullet,” who is now 13-0 as a pro.

As impressive as Whittaker and Magomedov’s finishes were, the most devastating knockout might have belonged to Oezdemir. The one-time light heavyweight title challenger punched Johnny Walker into oblivion, leaving him limp on the floor in Round 1.

The lone submission of the night belonged to newcomer Felipe Lima. The former Oktagon MMA bantamweight champion not only came in on short notice to fight Muhammad Naimov, he was also moving up in weight. Those challenges didn’t hold Lima back though and after surviving two rounds against Naimov, he battled back in the third to secure a rear-naked choke submission.