A UFC debutant earned a $50k bonus after leaving his opponent with a broken jaw and an ear so swollen it looked like it was about to burst

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Brad Riddell prevailed over Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243.

• Brad Riddell won a $50,000 performance bonus in his first ever UFC fight.
• The 28-year-old New Zealand lightweight went to war with the Australian striker Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243.
• Riddell was the clear winner in the bout, having left his opponent with a probable broken jaw and an ear so swollen it could have burst at any moment.
• Watch the highlights below.
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A UFC debutant earned a $50,000 performance bonus after winning a fight so gruelling it left his opponent with a probable broken jaw and an ear so swollen it looked like it was about to burst.

The 28-year-old New Zealand lightweight Brad Riddell fought the Australian striker Jamie Mullarkey at the UFC 243 event in Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on October 6.

Riddell and Mullarkey's three round battle was on the preliminary card but because of the pace and violence of the fight, it quickly generated excitement globally.

Nothing epitomized the brutality more than round three, where both fighters exchanged heavy slugs and breathed through bleeding gums.

Riddell stayed on top of the action by showing intuitive head movement to avoid shots standing up, and even scored a takedown 30 seconds into the final round.

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His power was so evident he was able to punch the mouthguard out of Mullarkey's mouth, but his opponent showed he could never be counted out when he dropped then attempted to choke Riddell midway through the round.

With his nose leaking blood, Mullarkey may also have broken his jaw, Bloody Elbow reported at the time. Before the fight's end, Mullarkey's ear had also swollen grutesquely.

Watch part of the final round here:

And here if you're in a different region:

BT Sport, the UFC's broadcaster in the UK, called it the "Round of the Year," and Chamatkar Sandhu, the former ESPN MMA reporter now at the Professional Fighter's League, said it has to be a contender, adding: "Wow."

Riddell and Mullarkey picked up a "Fight of the Night" bonus, $50,000 each, for the part they played in the war, but Riddell's paycheck will perhaps feel sweeter having been judged the clear winner.

Riddell is now 7-1 in MMA career wins but, perhaps most importantly, is 1-0 in UFC wins having stormed to an extraordinary victory in his first ever UFC bout.