The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in “Sin City,” including one to a rising featherweight star fighting in his first UFC main event.
After UFC Fight Night 269, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. In addition, three other fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners. Check out the list below.
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Fight of the Night: Marwan Rahiki, Harry Hardwick ($100,000 each)
Marwan Rahiki (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) put his power on display in a big way against Harry Hardwick (13-5-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC). He broke his jaw, and in between the second and third rounds Hardwick wisely shut things down for himself – after showing a ton of grit to get that far with a clearly thrashed face to begin with. Rahiki’s win kept him perfect as a pro – with all his wins by stoppage.
Performance of the Night: Manoel Sousa ($100,000)
Manoel Sousa (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was in a thrilling back-and-forth fight with Bolaji Oki (10-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) for his UFC debut at lightweight. The scorecards showed he was even on two and down two rounds on a third when he drilled Oki with a highlight-reel stunner that had him out in an instant.
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Performance of the Night: Kevin Vallejos ($100,000)
Kevin Vallejos (18-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had the biggest opportunity of his career against Josh Emmett (19-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), who was fighting in his fifth UFC main event. The Argentinian came through with flying colors and needed just a few minutes to take Emmett out with a brutal TKO against the fence in his first headliner.
Finish bonus: Bia Mesquita ($25,000)
Bia Mesquita (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) showed she’s one of the top prospects in the women’s bantamweight division when she finished Montserrat Rendon (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a little more than two minutes with a rear-naked choke. SHe won her promotional debut this past October the same way not long after she signed as an LFA champion.
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Finish bonus: Ion Cutelaba ($25,000)
Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1 MMA, 9-10-1 UFC) had gone around a decade without a submission before he got a first-round tapout win a year ago. Saturday, he got another one when he upset Oumar Sy (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a guillotine choke in the opening frame. “The Hulk” was as much as +3500 to win the fight with a first-round submission.
Finish bonus: Elijah Smith ($25,000)
Elijah Smith (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) struggled in the first round against SuYoung You (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC), but in the second turned things around and kept his UFC record perfect with a brilliant rear-naked choke – just the second submission win of his young career.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Fight Night 269 bonuses: First-time headliner crushes $100K
