The UFC was in a giving mood following their return to Canada on Saturday. Just not as giving as UFC 289 welterweight Mike Malott would have liked.
Malott called for bonuses for every Canadian on the card — the canucks went 5-0 on the night, or 6-0 if you count Diana Belbita, a Romanian who now calls Canada home. While that wasn’t forthcoming, the promotion did hand out an extra Performance of the Night bonus in the end.
Malott was rewarded for his guillotine choke finish of Adam Fugitt, a main card match-up that felt like a star turn for the Ontario-born fighter, who fell to his knees in the octagon afterwards, overcome with emotion.
Charles Oliveira, arguably the biggest star on the UFC 289 card, also earned a $50,000 Performance bonus for his finish of Beneil Dariush. It is expected that Oliveira will now face Islam Makhachev in a rematch for his lightweight title, though Dana White would not confirm that during Saturday’s post-fight press conference.
The third Performance bonus was handed out to Steve Erceg. The Australian flyweight made his promotional debut on Saturday and appeared to impress White, who sung his praises backstage at the Rogers Arena.
Fight of the Night at UFC 289 went to another Canadian, Marc-Andre Barriault, and former LFA champ Eryk Anders. Barriault came away with the win following a three-round middleweight battle.
Attendance for UFC 289 was 17,628, for a live gate of $5,140.482.16 CAD ($3,834,893.25 USD).
