Best of UFC 88

Rashad Evans had the knockout of the night, but the fight of the night went to Thiago Tavares and Kurt Pellegrino. The two won more than just respect for their epic contest-for their spirited performance, they both took home an extra $60,000.

The fight was almost over before it started. Pellegrino knocked Tavares down with a punch and wailed away at his prone opponent. A more trigger happy referee might have stopped the bout then and there, but Yves Lavigne let the two fight on.

"Tavares is a tough kid and Kurt looked great. He's well rounded and he gets better and better every time he fights," White said. "I thought he looked great tonight. He looked like he was going to finish it early, but that kid had no quit in him."

Tavares was bloodied, but not beaten. He rallied in the second round, but nearly got caught in an armbar. Covered in blood, sweat, and an unusual amount of Vaseline intended to close his cut, Tavares slipped out. Or did he? Replays showed he actually tapped out, but the ref didn't see it.

"It looked like a tap to me. I saw him get the armbar and I went to say something to Lorenzo (Fertitta)," White said. "I looked back and he was out of it. I said 'How the hell did he get out of that?' I want to see the replay. When they showed it, it looked like he did tap, but then he let it go. It's tough. You don't let go of a move until the ref jumps in and tells you to stop."