WEC 50 Bonuses: Four Fighters Pocket $10K

Anthony Pettis file photo: Sherdog.com

Surging World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight Anthony Pettis inched closer to a potential title shot with his riveting submission victory over Shane Roller in the WEC 50 “Cruz vs. Benavidez 2” co-main event on Wednesday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Pettis, who earned a $10,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus, ended the memorable encounter in the last 10 seconds, as he secured a fight-ending triangle choke and coaxed a tapout from Roller 4:51 into round three. The 23-year-old Duke Roufus protégé has rattled off three wins in a row, all of them finishes. Roller had never before been submitted.

Meanwhile, the world-ranked Scott Jorgensen and American Top Team’s Brad Pickett pocketed matching $10,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses in wake of their three-round scrap. Jorgensen notched a unanimous decision over the London native -- 30-27 on all cards -- behind takedowns, ground-and-pound and stout submission defense.

Finally, unbeaten Polish export Maciej Jewtuszko made a profitable promotional debut, as he banked a $10,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus in wake of his first-round technical knockout against Anthony Njokuani. Jewtuszko needed just 95 seconds to dispatch Njokuani. He has finished all eight of his opponents as a professional, six of them inside one round.