Following Saturday’s UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White announced the recipients of the performance-based bonuses. For the first time since implementing the bonus system, a fighter was awarded a bonus after missing weight.
Fight Of The Night: Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov
These two welterweight contenders did not disappoint.
Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov laid it all on the line for almost 15 full-minutes before Rakhmonov secured a standing rear naked choke forcing Neal to tap. Prior to that jaw dropping moment, both men had big moments on the feet, but it was mainly Rakhmonov deploying a wide variety of strikes leading the dance.
Neal never backed down though, connecting with his own power shots that put Rakhmonov in trouble. It was back-and-forth and gutsy-and-grimy.
Even though Neal missed weight, which would normally mean he was ineligible to receive a bonus, UFC President Dana White loved the fight so much that he decided to make an exception and give “Handz Of Steel” his portion of the bonus.
Rakhmonov is now 17-0 in his professional MMA career, and he’s won each of those fights by either knockout or by submission. He’s the first welterweight in UFC history to begin his career with five consecutive finishes.
That’s impressive stuff for the 28-year-old and fight fans should be ecstatic to see him matchup with the other beasts at the top of the division. Big things are on the way from Rakhmonov – and UFC 285 was the perfect opportunity to prove he absolutely belongs.
Performance Of The Night Bonuses
Performance Of The Night: Jon Jones
Jon Jones took a long time to come back to action, but he made up for it to fight fans by beating Ciryl Gane 124 seconds.
“Bones” took Gane down after feeling the fight out for a bit on the feet, he worked his way into a mounted position and locked in a guillotine choke. That’s all she wrote.
Just like that, the fighter that many believe is the ‘G.O.A.T.’ added another bullet to his resume which likely proves he’s just that. With the win Jones became the 8th fighter in UFC history to become a champion in two different divisions and he’s the 18th undisputed UFC heavyweight champion overall.
Jones’ win adds to his legacy and opens the door wide open for his future in the heavyweight division.
Performance Of The Night: Alexa Grasso
What an amazing showcase of focus from Alexa Grasso.
The once-strawweight contender made the switch to flyweight and has flourished on her way to challenging longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko. She capped of that brilliant decision with a stunning rear naked choke win over “Bullet” at UFC 285.
Grasso took Shevchenko’s back in the final minute of the third round after Shevchenko threw a spinning kick. Grasso rushed to Shevchenko and got her hooks in and arms around Shevchenko’s neck in an instant. She applied the pressure and Shevchenko was forced to tap.
With the victory, Grasso became the Mexico’s first female UFC champioin.
Alexa Grasso, you are the new flyweight champion of the world.
Performance Of The Night: Bo Nickal
The debut of Bo Nickal was worth the wait as the wrestling phenom proved he’s well on his way to becoming a superstar in the Octagon.
Nickal quickly pressured Jamie Pickett and was able to get his foe to the canvas. From there he positioned himself for an arm triangle submission. He was patient and he waited until he found the right grip and position to really lock in the choke. Pickett tapped and just like that, Bo Nickal had arrived.
Welcome to the Bo show.
UFC 285: Jones vs Gane Attendance, Records and Gate
Attendance: 19,471
Gross Total Revenue: USD $12.15 million
4th highest in UFC history, highest ever for a heavyweight bout
UFC 285 Bonuses: Geoff Neal snags a bonus after missing weight