The call for a 100% bonus rate for finishing fighters at UFC Vegas 59 was almost immediate, but ultimately, just one extra bonus was handed out.
The Fight Night card at the UFC Apex on Saturday vastly exceeded expectations; for just the second time in modern UFC history, every single fight on the docket resulted in a finish. From bell to bell, the judges were wholly unnecessary, unless you count one being called in to verify a tap in the opening fight of the night.
The last time a UFC card saw a 100% finish rate was in 2014, when Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold topped UFC Fight Night 55. Roughly eight years later, Bisping was in the house as an announcer, while one returning fighter competed on the card — Sam Alvey, who was finished by Michal Oleksiejczuk.
Oleksiejczyk was not on the receiving end of a bonus on Saturday. Instead, three Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out to Geoff Neal, Mohammed Usman, and Bryan Battle.
Battle was a no-brainer, as his head kick KO of Takashi Sato disconnected the Japanese fighter from consciousness instantly. Neal also had a big night in a very different fight: Vicente Luque simply refused to go away til a string of uppercuts in the third round. As for Usman, a short hook turned out the lights on Zac Pauga in the heavyweight finale of The Ultimate Fighter 30.
Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 59 was awarded to the main event between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos. Hill had the edge on the feet, and while Santos fell back on his wrestling in the third, making things competitive. After that, Hill came out in the fourth round and put the Brazilian away via TKO.
All five bonus-winning fighters at UFC Vegas 59 will pocket an extra $50,000 for their efforts.
