Josh Koscheck wins “Knockout of the Night” at UFC 135

Original Ultimate Fighter cast-member Josh Koscheck bounced back from an extended layoff due to injury last night by rendering welterweight legend Matt Hughes defenseless with strikes in their UFC 135 co-headlining clash.

In addition to a win, Koscheck’s opening round stoppage earned him $75,000 and the award for “Knockout of the Night”. The performance marked his second such bonus with his first coming nearly three years ago against Yoshiyuki Yoshida at a UFC Fight for the Troops event.

“Fight of the Night” and $75,000 each went to the main event duo of Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson after battling it out for three full rounds with the light heavyweight champ submitting “Rampage” a little over a minute into the fourth frame. Jones improved his overall record to 14-1 with the victory. His only loss was the result of a disqualification after delivering an illegal elbow to a nearly-finished Matt Hamill.

Earning “Submission of the Night” honors, and the cash of course, was Nate Diaz who tapped out Takanori Gomi with an Armbar with less than a minute left in the first round of their fight.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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MMATraining Take: I thought Jones deserved the submission-based bonus since Jackson hadn’t been finished in more than five years but it’s hard to argue against Diaz’s technique too. Really, the UFC could have given out 2-3 other awards (James Te Huna for KotN for example) and I would have been happy. The Zuffa accountants…eh, not so much.