UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori delivered in UFC Vegas 41’s headliner, and he got a little extra cash consideration for the heavier challenge he took on in Paulo Costa.
Vettori picked up a “Performance of the Night” bonus worth $50,000 for his unanimous decision over Costa, which headlined Saturday’s fight card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. It was Vettori’s third UFC bonus; he earned his first with a stoppage of another opponent, Karl Roberson, who missed weight.
The UFC Vegas 41 headliner was originally scheduled as a middleweight contest before Costa revealed he could not make the 186-pound limit allowed. A catchweight bout at 195 pounds was then booked, but the evening before weigh-ins, the fight was rebooked as a light heavyweight fight.
In other bonuses handed out in Las Vegas, a back-and-forth prelim featuring middleweights Gregory Rodrigues and Jun Yong Park picked up the “Fight of the Night” honor, with both fighters receiving an extra $50,000. Park had Rodrigues on the verge of a knockout loss before Rodrigues rallied with a flurry of punches that forced a second-round stoppage.
And in the final bonus of the night, featherweight veteran Alex Caceres took home $50,000 for “Performance of the Night” for his come-from-behind rally against Seungwoo Choi, who landed an illegal knee to the head that drew a point deduction. Caceres fought back and won the day with his jiu-jitsu, cinching a rear-naked choke in the second round.
