UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee is in the books and while interest seemed to be lacking prior to the event, the company and fighters made sure it was one to remember.
In the co-main event, Demetrious Johnson made history with his record breaking 11th straight title defense, tapping out Ray Borg with an incredible armbar.
Late in the fifth round, Johnson hit a german suplex throw, into an armbar, in a sequence that may go down as the best submission finish of all-time. It was no surprise that Johnson earned one of the Performance of the Night bonuses for his efforts.
The other Performance of the Night bonus went to John Moraga for his knockout over Magomed Bibulatov. Moraga was a heavy underdog in the fight, but caught Bibulatov with a picture perfect left hook to end the fight.
Fight of the Night went to Lando Vannata and Bobby Green for their back-and-forth battle that ended in a split draw. Vannata looked well on his way to victory in the first round, but an ill advised knee to a still down Green cost Vannata a point on the scorecards and allowed Green to recover from the prior punishment. Green bounced back in the second and third rounds, nearly finishing Vannata at the buzzer with a two punch combination. When the decision was announced, both men wore big smiles and showed mutual respect.
The four fighters earned $50,000 on top of their salary.
10,638 fans attended the event for a gate of $677,999.50. Of the six pay-per-view events held at T-Mobile Arena, UFC 216 is the first to not do over $1 million at the gate. The UFC did issue more than 1,000 free tickets to local police officers, firefighters, and EMTs who took part in responding to the tragic Vegas shooting last weekend. Those men and women were recognized to open the show.
Bonuses - $50,000 Each
Fight of the Night - Lando Vannata vs. Bobby Green
Performance of the Night - Demetrious Johnson
Performance of the Night - John Moraga
Attendance - 10,638
Live Gate - $677,999.50
For full results and coverage of UFC 216, check out Fightful’s live report.
