Newly minted World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Brian Bowles left Las Vegas with more than just the gold wrapped around his waist.
Bowles (8-0) dropped Torres with a short counter right hook, followed him to the ground and teed off with power shots, most of which found their intended marks. The defeat snapped a remarkable 17-fight winning streak for Torres (37-2).
Meanwhile, Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez, two top bantamweight contenders, were awarded matching $10,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses after their three-round encounter. Cruz (14-1), who won a unanimous decision, walked away with a total payday of $24,000. Benavidez (10-1), stung by defeat for the first time as a professional, banked $22,500.
Finally, former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Rani Yahya earned a $10,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he took care of John Hosman with a north-south choke 2:08 into their match. Yahya’s $26,000 payday dwarfed that of his opponent, who pocketed $3,000 for his troubles.
WEC 42 Payouts
Brian Bowles -- $28,000 (includes $9,000 win, $10,000 KOTN bonuses)
Miguel Torres -- $26,000
Rani Yahya -- $26,000 (includes $8,000 win, $10,000 SOTN bonuses)
Dominick Cruz -- $24,000 (includes $7,000 win, $10,000 FOTN bonuses)
Leonard Garcia -- $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
Joseph Benavidez -- $22,500 (includes $10,000 FOTN bonus)
Shane Roller -- $21,200 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Danny Castillo -- $14,000 (includes $7,000 bonus)
Ed Ratcliff – $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
Takeya Mizugaki -- $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
L.C. Davis -- $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
Jeff Curran -- $8,000
Diego Nunes -- $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus)
Marcus Hicks -- $6,800
Cole Province -- $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus)
Javier Vasquez -- $6,000
Ricardo Lamas -- $4,000
Rafael Dias -- $4,000
Jameel Massouh -- $3,000
Phil Cardella -- $3,000
John Hosman -- $3,000
Fredson Paixao -- $2,000