UFC 263 Bonuses: Brandon Moreno Gets $50K For Title Win
UFC 263 was billed as the first major Pay Per View of the year and it did not disappoint. With a stacked lineup of fights from the early prelims to the main event, there were plenty of good performances to go around. There were quick finishes, grueling split decisions, and a title change. After a great night of action that earned a $14.8 million gate with 17,208 fans in attendance, four fighters walked away with $50,000 bonuses – see who below.
Brandon Moreno – Performance of the Night
In the UFC 263 co-main event, Brandon Moreno put on an incredible performance against Deiveson Figueiredo. From the beginning, Moreno came out like a man on a mission. Determined to not allow the rematch to end in another draw, Moreno outstruck Figueiredo in all three rounds. Moreno was the aggressor, landing takedowns in all three rounds before securing the victory and the title with a rear-naked choke with 2:26 minutes left in the third round. The performance was enough to earn the new champion one of the PON bonuses.
Drew Dober and Brad Riddell – Fight of the Night
Although the event has three fights at the top of the card that many expected to be FOTN contenders, the FOTN occurred on the final card of the prelims. Dober and Riddell fought a war with the fight tied at one round apiece going into the third. As the final round began, Dober came out aggressive. Knowing that he needed the round to win the fight, Dober began the round with momentum but then Riddell kicked it into another gear to end the fight. When the smoke cleared, Riddell was able to pull out the victory, but the true victors were the fans that watched the exciting fight. Both fighters walked away with $50K bonuses for their troubles.
Paul Craig – Fight of the Night
Paul Craig was responsible for the scariest moment of UFC 263, ending the undefeated streak of Jamahal Hill with a nasty TKO in the first round. The stoppage was controversial because many believe it should have happened earlier in the fight. Hill’s arm appeared broken as it swung around violently after Craig locked in a deep armbar to which Hill would not tap. Switching to strikes, it was clear that Hill was not able to defend with the visibly injured arm. Still, the stoppage to strikes in the first round sent a message the Craig is here to get it done. Craig also walked away with one of the $50K bonuses.
Do you think the right people got bonus money at UFC 263?
