Anderson Silva connects on Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Photo by Dave Mandel.
A sizeable chunk of the $3.55 million gate from UFC 101 “Declaration” on Saturday went into middleweight champion and pound-for-pound ace Anderson Silva’s wallet.
The 34-year-old Brazilian, now positioned for a rematch with two-time Olympian Dan Henderson at middleweight, extended his record for consecutive victories inside the Octagon to 10. He has finished eight of his 10 bouts since he entered the UFC in June 2006, five of them inside one round. Griffin, who pocketed a $60,000 bonus for his troubles, had never been finished so quickly.
Meanwhile, UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn banked a $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he finished top contender Kenny Florian with a fourth-round rear-naked choke. The 30-year-old Hawaiian has not lost at 155 pounds since he was outpointed by Jens Pulver at UFC 35 in January 2002.