UFC 281 took place on Saturday night in New York with two title changes and both new champions earning bonuses.
Alex Pereira earned a Performance Bonus with his stoppage of Israel Adesanya in the 5th round to win the middleweight title. If not for stopping Adesanya, Pereira would have lost a decision to the former champ. But, it was the left hook that started the end for Izzy and the former kickboxer is now the champ.
Realistically, Zhang Weili was favored to regain the strawweight title against Carla Esparza. In fact, that is what happened as Zhang sunk in a rear naked choke to win the title. For her efforts, she won a Performance Bonus.
The Fight of the Night went to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. Predictably, many thought this outstanding matchup would win the honors and it did. Poirier earned the victory via submission.
Payout Perspective:
There were other great performances on this card which could have earned Performance Bonus honors. Notably, Dan Hooker, Chris Gutierrez, Renato Moicano, Ryan Spann and Erin Blanchfield. UFC 281 was one of the best cards of 2022 as it returned to Madison Square Garden.
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