UFC Vegas 54 ended on something of a sour note, with main event light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic falling due to injury — quite literally — in his showdown with Jan Blachowicz.
That gave the Polish ex-champ the win, but left him high and dry in terms of bonus money. Instead, it was another light heavyweight that cashed in on that front.
Ryan Spann had been looking to bounce back from a loss to Anthony Smith on Saturday, and he did just that in a big way. Paired up with hard-hitting Moldovan Ion Cutelaba, Spann locked up a guillotine in the opening round that had Cutelaba tapping in a hurry.
The other Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Vegas 54 went to Manuel Torres, a 2021 Contender Series alum who came out swinging against Frank “The Crank” Camacho. Torres stunned Camacho early, snapping his head back, and moments later dropped him with another nasty blow. That was enough for Herb Dean to wave off the fight, and while some argued that Dean had made the call early, it simply wasn’t going to be Camacho’s night.
Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 54 went to the women’s flyweight pairing of Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas. Normally a strawweight, Ribas was returning to the 125 pound division for the first time since 2018, looking to jump the line with a win over “Blonde Fighter,” who of late has been a high-level gatekeeper.
Ribas’ plans were all for naught: Chookagian proved game, and wound up earning the split decision win.
All four bonus-winning fighters at UFC Vegas 54 will pocket an extra $50,000 on top of their show and win money.
