WATCH: Wholesome player-coach moment as UFC Vegas 69 fighter wins 50K bonus despite losing fight to doctor's stoppage
Although Evan Elder had an unfortunate night at UFC Vegas 69, he did receive some good news from his coach after the fight.
Elder took on Nazim Sadykhov in a lightweight scrap in the prelims of the fight card. 'The Phenom' outclassed Sadykhov for the majority of the fight and also outscored him on the judges' scorecards after the first two rounds.
Evan Elder was unanimously winning his #UFCVegas69 bout vs. Nazim Sadykhov prior to the doctor stoppage. It’s truly a game of inches, folks. https://t.co/Yhb8LSXLZq
However, the 25-year-old sustained a nasty cut above his eye in the third round. The ringside physician intervened and stopped the bout, declaring Sadykhov as the winner.
Elder later got to know from his coach that his contest had been awarded the Fight of the Night honors and he, along with Sadykhov, will receive an additional cheque of $50,000.
Your FOTN honors belong to @Naz_MMA & Evan Elder tonight! 👏👏👏
[ #UFCVegas69 | B2YB @ToyoTires ] https://t.co/8Hd3GNJBQ2
Elder clearly got emotional upon hearing the good news. You can watch a clip of the wholesome interaction below:
Your feel-good moment of #UFCVegas69 🥲
Evan Elder's coach telling him he received Fight of the Night https://t.co/cZ8eTl1nLT
Apart from Elder and Sadykhov, Erin Blanchfield and Mayra Bueno Silva were also handed post-fight bonuses at UFC Vegas 69, with both women producing incredible finishes to earn Performance of the Night honors.
UFC Vegas 69 ended with a flawless performance from Erin Blanchfield
Erin Blanchfield scored the biggest victory of her MMA career at UFC Vegas 69 as she defeated former UFC champion Jessica Andrade in the main event. 'Cold Blooded' made light work of the Brazilian and finished her via submission in the second round.
In her post-fight interview, Blanchfield called for a fighter with the winner of Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso, slated for the upcoming pay-per-view.
The co-main event featured a light heavyweight bout between Jordan Wright and Zac Pauga. Pauga took home the victory via unanimous decision, with the three judges' scorecards reading 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
A heavyweight showdown between Josh Parisian and Jamal Pogues also took place on the main card of UFC Vegas 69. The fight went the entire 15-minute distance and ended in a unanimous decision win for Pogues. The three judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of 'The Stormtrooper'.
William Knight and Marcin Prachnio went toe-to-toe in a light heavyweight bout. The fight turned out to be an underwhelming affair, with Prachnio walking away with the win by scoring 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards.
Alexander Hernandez and Jim Miller opened up the main card for UFC Vegas 69. Hernandez edged out a unanimous decision victory with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 on the three scorecards.
Phenomenal performance from Alexander Hernandez (@TheGreat155) against an absolute savage in Jim Miller. Fantastic fight!!! #UFCVegas69 https://t.co/I651MRsSgz