UFC 302 bonuses: Islam Makhachev doubles up for extra $100K

Islam Makhachev is the best of the best, and he has the awards to show for it.

Following Makhachev’s dramatic fifth-round submission of Dustin Poirier in Saturday’s UFC 302 main event in Las Vegas, the reigning lightweight champion received an extra $100,000 in bonuses for winning the evening’s Fight of the Night and a Performance of the Night bonus. That means Poirier also received $50,000 for his part in the headlining bout, which was one of 2024’s most exciting duels so far.

For Poirier, this marks his 10th Fight of the Night bonus and his 15th post-event bonus overall. That should provide some consolation for “The Diamond,” who fell short in his third attempt at becoming undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

The other $50,000 Performance of the Night award went to Kevin Holland. The sometimes-welterweight, sometimes-middleweight fighter returned to the 185-pound division to fight Michal Oleksiejczuk and got back in the win column with a 94-second armbar submission. That’s seven Performance of the Night bonuses now for the always exciting Holland.

Afterwards, Holland declared himself “the best gatekeeper you’ve ever seen.”