UFC 274 Bonuses: Michael Chandler Earns $50K for Spectacular Front Kick KO

Michael Chandler padded his bank account on Saturday night with a knockout that ranks among the year’s best.

The former Bellator champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus after rendering Tony Ferguson unconscious with a spectacular front kick to the chin in their featured lightweight bout at UFC 274. After a competitive opening stanza, Chandler’s move abruptly halted the contest 17 seconds into Round 2, sending Ferguson face first into the canvas. It’s just one of nine front kick knockouts in promotion history.

Elsewhere, Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for a spirited flyweight scrap on the preliminary card. Schnell dropped Royval during an initial exchange, but after a series of scrambles, Royval jumped on a guillotine choke and elicited a tapout 2:14 into the opening round.

Finally, Andre Fialho pocketed the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a knockout of Cameron VanCamp in a preliminary welterweight encounter. A left hook to the chin from the Portugal native folded his opponent at the 2:35 mark of Round 1, giving Fialho back-to-back KO/TKO victories in the Octagon.