Wrapping up International Fight Week on Saturday night in Las Vegas, UFC 290 took a hit or two in the days leading up to the event (including the loss of Jack Della Maddalena, after two opponents were forced out of the fight) — but the product at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas turned out to be one of the best cards of the year.
From quick finishes to drawn out wars, there was a little something for everyone at the Pay-Per-View event, with at least a couple of fights in the running for Fight of the Night. Earlier on in the main card, it felt like Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner was a lock — then along came Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event.
That back-and-forth fight went the full five rounds, with Pantoja coming away with the split decision win and a brand new flyweight championship. He is now the only Brazilian champion in the UFC, after nearly a month without one following Amanda Nunes retiring following UFC 289 in June.
Pantoja is also $50,000 richer, as is Moreno, for their Fight of the Night effort. Also cashing in at UFC 290, Denise Gomes, who knocked out Yazmin Jauregui in all of 20 seconds on the preliminary card. She picked up one of two Performance of the Night bonuses, with the other going to Dricus Du Plessis, for his shocking finish of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker — which has now earned the South African a title shot.
Per Dana White at Saturday’s post-fight press conference, a few locker room bonuses (undisclosed) are also likely, with Robbie Lawler one name the UFC President singled out for such a reward.
Attendance at the T-Mobile Arena, meanwhile, was 19,204, a sellout, with a live gate of $9.75 million USD. So chances are, a few extra bucks in bonus money won’t hurt the bottom line too much on this one.
