Bonuses for the Best of the UFC in May
May was a slightly lazy month by UFC standards, with only two measly events and 25 fights happening in the past 31 days.
But there sure were some memorable moments in May. Let us now celebrate those moments by handing out the post-fight bonuses for the month.
If you're just joining us, these are exactly like the UFC's post-fight bonuses, only they're for the entire month, the big prizes are slideshow slides instead of money, and the winners are decided not by the UFC but by myself—you know, Scott Harris, from Bleacher Report.
In addition, I've been known to throw some random bonus bonuses into the mix. Did I do that this month? Read on, why don't you. And if you're interested, check out the April bonuses here.
Knockout of the Month: Junior dos Santos
1 of 4I'm glad T.J. Grant got some recognition (courtesy of Mike Tyson), but the best knockout in May—much less at UFC 160—came from one Junior dos Santos.
Yes, Vitor Belfort's spinning wheel kick on Luck Rockhold was impressive. But you know what? New rule: if there's a good chance you're playing a little loose with the rules, you're not eligible for a post-fight monthly bonus.
Plus, JDS' big, spinning shot came against the notoriously concrete-headed Mark Hunt. That counts for something too.
Submission of the Month: Ronaldo Souza
2 of 4No surprise here. In his highly anticipated and long-awaited UFC debut, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza put a tough Chris Camozzi to sleep with an arm triangle.
Souza's next fight, purportedly against Yushin Okami, will be another tough test for the standout middleweight.
Fight of the Month: Lucas Martins vs. Jeremy Larsen
3 of 4This also got the "official" Fight of the Night nod after UFC on FX 8. But I'm giving it to them again here.
I love it when undercard guys wage a good scrap. There was action throughout the bout, with both men swinging hard and swinging fast. In the end, Lucas Martins was just a bit tougher under fire, and he earned the KO on Jeremy Larsen early in the third round.
Getting a Lot of Takedowns of the Month: Khabib Nurmagomedov
4 of 4In his UFC 160 dismantling of Abel Trujillo, Khabib Nurmagomedov scrawled his very long name into the UFC record books by landing 21 takedowns.
That's pretty impressive. Even more impressive: watching Trujillo, a solid wrestler in his own right, giving up late in a very thorough and unequivocal fashion. It was like someone cut his puppet strings.
