UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3 was held on August 15, 2020 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In addition to being paid a fixed amount to show and another, usually equal amount to win, each UFC event also awards four $50,000 Performance Bonuses. Usually, there is a Fight of the Night in which both fighters are given a performance bonus, and a performance bonus to the winner in two fights. At this event, there was no Fight of the Night, and instead, only Performance Bonuses were awarded, and perhaps in a nod the size of the 15-fight card, six bonuses were awarded. “Performance Bonus” means the fight made you go “HOLY F@$%ING $#!@.”
One of the primary differences between the UFC model and the boxing model is the depth of the card. Sometimes in MMA the greatest fight isn’t the main event, or close to it. At UFC 252, the main card had only one winner, the main and co-main got none, and the fight of the night was the very first fight on the card.
The winners are listed in bold below.
$50,000 Fight of the Night
Kai Kamaka III defeated Tony Kelley by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Virna Jandiroba defeated Felice Herring by Submission (Armbar, Round 1, 1:44)
$50,000 Performance Bonus
Daniel Pineda defeated Herbert Burns by TKO (Elbows, Round 2, 4:37)
In addition, to the bonuses and purses, fighters earn:
•Reebok pay, based on tenure, for wearing the distinctive apparel during fight week and in the Octagon;
•Sometimes fighters get discretionary locker room bonuses of varying amounts; despite their name, locker room bonuses actually come in the mail now;
•In some cases there is an LOA [Letter of Agreement] on the contract for additional income; and,
•The most elite fighters get points on the pay per view for PPV events.
The next league event is UFC on ESPN 15 on August 22, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pedro Munhoz and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar fight in the main event.
