UFC Vegas 54 Bonus Report: Chookagian vs. Ribas gets FOTN

The Octagon returned to Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 54 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic.

The highly anticipated light heavyweight main event was a fun and entertaining contest for as long as it lasted. The light heavyweight standouts battled it out in a very competitive opening two rounds. Unfortunately, disaster struck in round three when Aleksandar Rakic appeared to blow out his right knee while stepping back and planting his foot. He collapsed to the ground and Jan Blachowicz took mercy by not unleashing any ground and pound before the referee ultimately stepped in.

The co-main event of UFC Vegas 54 featured another light heavyweight contest between Ryan Spann and Ion Cutelaba. The bout proved to be the quick and wild affair that many were anticipating. Both men were throwing big strikes from the opening bell before ‘The Hulk’ decided to transition to his wrestling. At first it appeared he was having some success in the grappling department. However, after moving in for a third takedown attempt, he got caught in a front choke which quickly forced him to tap.

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.

Fight of the night: Women’s strawweight fighters Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas earned fight of the night honors for their thrilling war on tonight’s UFC Vegas 54 main card. Chookagian won the fight by split decision.

Performance of the night: Ryan Spann pocketed an extra $50k for his first round submission victory over Ion Cutelaba in tonight’s co-headliner.

Performance of the night: Manuel Torres earned an extra $50k for his spectacular knockout win over Frank Camacho.

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of today’s UFC Vegas 54 event?