The 556tth UFC event, UFC on ESPN 21, also known as UFC Vegas 22, and UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland was held on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In addition to being paid a fixed amount to show and another, usually equal amount to win, each UFC event also awards four $50,000 bonuses. Usually, there is a Fight of the Night for which both fighters are given a bonus, and a performance bonus is awarded to the winner in two other fights. This event instead had four performance bonus winners, all for KOs wins.
For the record, “Performance Bonus” is for the moments that made you go “HOLY F@$%ING $#!@.”
The winners are shown below, in bold.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1373503626614771714
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Max Griffindefeated Song Kenan by KO (Punches, Round 1, 2:20)
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Adrian Yanez defeated Gustavo Lopez by KO (Punch, Round 3, 0:27)
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Grant Dawsondefeated Leonardo Santos by KO (Punches, Round 3, 4:59)
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Bruno Silvadefeated JP Buys by TKO (Punch, Round 2, 2:56)
One of the primary differences between the UFC model and the boxing model is the depth of the card. Frequently in MMA the greatest fight isn’t the main event, or close to it. At UFC on ESPN 21, the bonuses were split 50-50 between the main and undercard, with the main event getting none.
In addition, to the bonuses and purses, fighters earn:
•Reebok pay, ranging from $3,500 to $20,000 based on tenure, $30,000 for title challengers, and $40,000 for champions, for wearing the distinctive apparel during fight week and in the Octagon;
•Discretionary locker room bonuses of varying amounts averaging out to $5k per fighter per fight, which, despite their name, actually come in the mail now;
•In some cases there is an LOA (Letter of Agreement) on the contract for additional income; and,
•The most elite fighters get points on the pay-per-view for PPV events.
The next league event, UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2, will be held on Saturday, March 27, also at the UFC APEX.
