Fights that didn’t go the distance ended by knockout at UFC Vegas 22, and four of six to earn concussive wins took home $50,000 bonuses for “Performance of the Night.”
Max Griffin, Adrian Yanez, Grant Dawson and Bruno Silva clinched the bonuses on Saturday at UFC APEX, the promotion announced after the event.
Griffin was bumped last-minute to the co-main event and made the most of his spotlight. After a lightweight bout between Gregor Gillespie and Brad Riddell was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, Griffin took on Kenan Song and picked up a first-round knockout with a one-two down the pipe that forced referee intervention at the 2:20 mark of the opening frame.
New dad Griffin was ecstatic after the win and immediately lobbied cageside UFC President Dana White for the pay bump.
Yanez impressed on the main card as well, putting on a striking clinic against a tough Gustavo Lopez before finishing the fight in the third. Lopez faceplanted just 27 seconds into the third frame after a well-timed right hand.
Dawson, fighting in the octagon for the first time as a lightweight, cut another clip for his highlight reel with a last-second knockout of veteran Leonardo Santos. As the Brazilian exposed his chin on the canvas, a series of hammerfists removed him from consciousness, and Dawson got the KO at the 4:59 mark of the final frame.
The final winner was Silva, who opened the fight card by dropping JP Buys three times before the stoppage at the 2:56 mark of the second round.