UFC 294 Bonus Report: Islam Makhachev one of four fighters to take home an extra $50k

The Octagon returned to Abu Dhabi for today’s UFC 294 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2.

The highly anticipated lightweight title fight rematch proved to be a coming out party for Islam Makhachev. The lightweight champion was able to get the better of Alexander Volkanovski in the striking department right from the opening bell, landing a nice head kick in the opening moments. Shortly thereafter, Makhachev once again connected with a high kick, this time staggering the reigning featherweight champion. The fight hit the floor and Islam quickly finished off the Aussie with some heavy ground and pound.

UFC 294 was co-headlined by a middleweight matchup featuring former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman taking on the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. The bout resulted in a closely contested battle. Khamzat Chimaev had a dominant opening round, but Kamaru Usman was able to come back strong in round two thanks to a good volume of good punches and kicks. In round three, Usman again got off to a hot start, but it was a takedown from ‘Borz’ with two minutes remaining that seemingly won him the fight and earned him a shot at reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.

Performance of the night: Islam Makhachev pocketed an extra $50k for his first-round knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski (see that here).

Performance of the night: Said Nurmagomedov earned an extra $50k for his first-round submission victory over Muin Gafurov.

Performance of the night: Muhammad Mokaev pocketed an extra $50k for his third-round submission victory over Tim Elliott (see that here).

Performance of the night: Ikram Aliskerov earned an extra $50k for his first-round TKO victory over Warley Alves.

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC 294 event in Abu Dhabi? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!