The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in Las Vegas, including one to the second biggest favorite on the card.
But when it came to his second-round finish of Ismael Bonfim, who missed weight by a massive five pounds, Chris Padilla wound up being sh*t out of luck – despite a post-fight plea to the UFC brass for some bonus love to help his mother up her lot in life. (Uros Medic wouldn’t mind saying a thing or two, either, about who got extra checks and who didn’t.)
Padilla did, however, get 25 percent of Bonfim’s purse – capped at such in the state of Nevada. But then the promotion went and threw another little jab in the ribs Padilla’s way by giving a $50,000 bonus to Bonfim’s brother, Gabriel, who picked up a knockout win in the main event – but immediately had the validity of his finish called into question as an early stoppage by the ref.
After UFC Fight Night 264, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Gabriel Bonfim
Gabriel Bonfim (19-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was about a 2-1 favorite against Randy Brown (20-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC), and in the second landed a brilliant jumping knee that put Brown on his back – and likely even briefly out. The fight was stopped immediately, though Brown and many observers called it an early stoppage and though Brown should have had a chance to recover.
Performance of the Night: Christian Leroy Duncan
Christian Leroy Duncan (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) picked up his third win of the calendar year and second straight bonus when he took out Marco Tulio (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a second-round TKO. It all started with a spinning backfist. In August, he landed a spinning back elbow against Eryk Anders on his way to his first UFC bonus.
Performance of the Night: Josh Hokit
Josh Hokit (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was the second biggest favorite on the card against fellow UFC newcomer Max Gimenis (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). He did what he was expected to do, then cut a WWE-like promo to call out Valter Walker.
Performance of the Night: Zach Reese
Zach Reese (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) took his fight against Jackson McVey (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on less than a week’s notice. He also had the benefit of not having to cut all the way down in the curtain jerker, which was negotiated to be a 195-pound contract weight. Reese had trouble in the first round and was cut, and he took a shot in the jimmies, too. But he rallied in the second for the rear-naked choke win.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 111: Scripted cheese gets $50K bonus, heartfelt plea snubbed
