The UFC has announced a new post-fight bonus structure starting with UFC 324, with Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses now coming in at $100,000 U.S.
That’s double the previous standard of $50,000, which was occasionally boosted for major events like UFC 300.
On UFC 324, the first card of the Paramount+ era, kicking off a broadcast deal that helped usher in those new bonuses? It was headliners Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett walking away with Fight of the Night.
Pimblett, unable to use his jiu-jitsu, stood toe-to-toe with the hard-hitting Gaethje for most of the fight, eating some of the lightweight star’s heaviest punches. It was a rough outing for Paddy “The Baddy,” who entered the bout undefeated in the UFC. He exited the bout off a decision loss, while Gaethje claimed his second interim lightweight title, booking himself a future date with Ilia Topuria.
Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out to Josh Hokit and Ty Miller, both of whom featured on the night’s preliminary card. Miller finished Adam Fugitt in the final second of the opening round in their welterweight fight. One bout later, Hokit also earned a Round 1, 4:59 stoppage of former LFA heavyweight champ Denzel Freeman. Both fights ended on the feet.
Starting with UFC 324, UFC fighters who earn finishes will each pick up a $25,000 finishing bonus, though those earning Performance and Fight of the Night awards will not double up. That means Nikita Krylov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta will earn 25K extra. Alex Perez, who stopped Charles Johnson, does not qualify, as he missed weight for the bout.
