Officials announced the UFC 261 bonuses immediately following Saturday night’s championship tripleheader in front of a packed house at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It was the fight promotion’s first event allowed to have a sold-out live audience since the initiation of pandemic restrictions in early 2020.
The fight promotion set the venue record for gate numbers generating $3.3 million in receipts. 15,269 spectators attended the event.
Fight of the Night:
Fight of the Night honors went to the flyweights from the preliminary fight card. Jeff Molina defeated Qileng Aori by unanimous decision in a back-and-forth battle.
Performance of the Night:
Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his finish of Jorge Masvidal in the fight card’s main event. The two fought to a decision at UFC 251 last July with Masvidal stepping in as a late replacement days before the event. On Saturday, Usman finished “Gamebred” early in the second round by knockout.
Performance of the Night:
Rose Namajunas earned back the strawweight title in stunning fashion in the fight card’s co-main event against former champion Zhang Weili. Namajunas connected with a head kick early in the opening round that collapsed Weili. “Thug” Rose became the first female fighter in UFC history to win back a title after losing it.
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UFC 261 bonuses
- Fight of the Night: Jeff Molina and Qileng Aori
- Performance of the Night: Kamaru Usman
- Performance of the Night: Rose Namajunas
UFC 261 bonuses: Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas bank bonuses