UFC Chicago was a fun night of fights overall featuring a few impressive stoppages. Who took home the extra $50,000?

The “Fight of the Night” and two “Performance of the Night” winners were announced at UFC Chicago’s post-fight press conference, along with the live gate and attendance.

UFC Chicago was a night of many dominant performances, so a back-and-forth affair like this one was very appreciated. Jason Knight did his best Nate/Nick Diaz impression for most of the fight, taunting Alers and telling him that he won’t be able to do what he wants.

Knight used constant jabs and combinations to keep Alers on the back foot for most of the fight. That is not to say Alers didn’t have his moments, as he scored multiple takedowns and a few heavy right hands that wobbled Knight. When Alers did get the fight to the ground, Knight immediately started looking for submissions, preventing any dull moments in the 15 minute affair. There was even one statement takedown from Knight, where he took Alers down and immediately stood up as if to say “I can do that too.” At the end of the day, Jason Knight earned his first UFC victory and both men took home a well-deserved bonus check.

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The chips were stacked against Eddie Wineland in this fight. The veteran was 3-5 in the UFC with two consecutive losses coming into UFC Chicago, and it seemed as if this could be his last time in the Octagon. He proved doubters wrong by utilizing an excellent counter right hand en route to a few knockdowns and a TKO victory in the third round.

It was not an easy first round for Wineland. Despite scoring a knockdown, he was considerably out-landed on the feet by Frankie Saenz. To make it worse, Saenz scored a takedown late in the round and held Wineland down. Five minutes was all Wineland needed to get going, as he used pin-point accuracy to land right hand after right hand and was much more active. He cracked Saenz with one final right hand that dropped him for a third time, and did not let Saenz survive this time. It was a long overdue victory for the former WEC standout and he certainly earned the bonus money.

Felice Herrig was coming back to the Octagon after a lengthy layoff, and looked to prove that she was still a force in the strawweight division against the young and hungry Kailin Curran. Herrig looked great right out of the gate, landing several body kicks on Curran. Curran caught a kick and unleashed a combination, but Herrig answered with a takedown. Shortly after, Herrig took the back and choked out the Hawaiian.

After over 400 days outside of the cage, Herrig only needed two minutes to get back in the win column at UFC Chicago. She was emotional in the post-fight interview when talking about her layoff in front of her hometown fans. The $50,000 should make the time away that much more worth it.

There you have it. UFC Chicago had quite a few fights go the distance, but it was still a fun night of fights. It was all capped off nicely by an excellent striking clinic by Valentina Shevchenko to upset former champion Holly Holm. Next up is UFC 201 in one week!