UFC 268 Bonuses: Gaethje vs. Chandler Slugfest Earns ‘Fight of the Night’ Honors

Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler delivered on the hype in a big way at UFC 268.

The lightweights received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their slugfest at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday in a bout that will likely lead many “Fight of the Year” lists in the weeks to come. While Gaethje was rocked early in the first round, he maintained his composure and gradually pulled away from Chandler for an enthralling unanimous decision triumph.

Meanwhile, on an evening that featured a number of memorable finishes, the Las Vegas-based promotion handed out a quartet of $50,000 “Performance of the Night” checks to deserving athletes.

Marlon Vera earned one of those bonuses on the strength of a front kick knockout of Frankie Edgar in a featured bantamweight clash. After two competitive rounds, Vera emphatically brought the show to a close at the 3:50 mark of Round 3, becoming just the eighth fighter in promotion history to win a bout via front-kick KO.

Elsewhere, former Glory Kickboxing standout Alex Pereira garnered an extra $50,000 for a knockout of Andreas Michailidis in his Octagon debut. After a slow-paced opening stanza in which Michailidis controlled much of the fight with his grappling, Pereira brought an abrupt end to the contest with a flying knee and follow-up punches just 18 seconds into Round 2.

Bobby Green went eight years between finishes in UFC competition, but his latest effort made him $50,000 richer, as he put away Al Iaquinta in the first round of a preliminary lightweight encounter. A two-punch combination floored Iaquinta, and Green sealed his triumph moments later with punches and hammerfists at the 2:25 mark of the frame.

Finally, Chris Barnett secured his first promotional triumph in style, scoring a performance bonus for a spinning wheel kick finish of Gian Villante in a preliminary heavyweight affair. A barrage of follow-up punches ended the bout 2:23 into Round 2, sending Villante into retirement on a low note.