The order has been restored.
After watching the very entertaining UFC Vegas 96 card from the APEX in Las Vegas, it seemed as though Wang Cong might have gotten slighted because she wasn’t awarded one of the Performance of the Night bonuses.
Thankfully, it appears UFC CEO Dana White watched Cong’s 62-second KO win over Victoria Leonardo to open the prelims, and he was made aware of her social media.
Cong posted an image of DC’s The Joker (the Heath Ledger version) on her Instagram, a persona she’s adopted during weigh-ins. In the caption on the photo, Cong wrote: “Wake up and find out there is no POTN😠. Next fight you will see more spectacular finish @ufc . Don’t play with Joker again!”
After seeing the fight and reading Cong’s caption, White added a performance bonus to the event to recognize the fighter’s dynamic main-roster debut.
Jed I. Goodman captured a screenshot of White’s reply:
Cong, 32, made her to the UFC after winning her Road to the UFC fight against Paula Luna in May.
Cong won that fight via mounted guillotine. The fight on Saturday was all about Cong’s hands, and a vicious combination spelled the end for Leonardo.
In case you missed it, here is a look at the finish that earned Cong the win and bonus–albeit delayed.
The UFC may have a budding star on its hands with Cong. The 32-year-old from China has already defeated former women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in kickboxing.
Cong has gotten off to a 6-0 start as a professional in mixed martial arts, and she made it clear following her win that she would prefer not to be on the prelims again.
Cong may have to wait for that to come to fruition, but you can bet MMA fans will remember the impressive young fighter who wore the Joker paint to the weigh-in–most notably because she won impressively.
Here is a look at all of the results from UFC Vegas 96.
- Caio Borralho defeats Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-45×2, 48-46) – FOTN
- Tabatha Ricci defeats Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Ryan Loder defeats Robert Valentin via TKO at 1:49 of Round 2
- Mairon Santos defeats Kaan Ofli via KO at 1:30 of Round 2
- Michael Morales defeats Neil Magny via TKO at 4:39 of Round 1
- Gerald Meerschaert defeats Edmen Shahbazyan via submission at 4:12 of Round 2 (Arm triangle)
- Francis Marshall defeats Dennis Buzukja via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Zachary Reese defeats Jose Daniel Medina via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
- Viacheslav Borshchev defeats James Llontop via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Josiane Nunes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Wang Cong defeats Victoria Leonardo via KO at 1:02 of Round 1
Expect UFC officials to have a few different choices for performance bonuses on August 31, too. The promotion stays at the Apex for a card that will be main-evented by a pivotal welterweight clash between Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
Even sooner, the Dana White Contender Series returns on August 27 with as many as five contracts being awarded to standouts from the show. Look for coverage of both events throughout the week.
