The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in Las Vegas, including a first-of-its-kind submission.
After UFC Fight Night 276, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at the Meta APEX. Additionally, five fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners.
Check out the list of winners below.
Fight of the Night: Dooho Choi, Daniel Santos ($100,000 each)
💰️ファイトボーナス💰️
ファイト・オブ・ザ・ナイト😤
💵チェ・ドゥホ🆚ダニエル・サントス#FOTN#UFCVegas117pic.twitter.com/nHJRkQbRM2— UFC Japan (@ufc_jp) May 17, 2026
Dooho Choi (17-4-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) returned after 18 months away and got his third straight stoppage when he took out Daniel Santos (13-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a brutal body punch late in the second round. The first round was a back-and-forth slugfest in the featherweight fight, but Choi pulled off the upset.
Performance of the Night: Juan Diaz ($100,000)
Spectacular finishes take the bag! 💰
Alice Ardelean and Juan Diaz are your #UFCVegas117 POTN winners! pic.twitter.com/8M7VBKBHJV
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) May 17, 2026
Juan Diaz (16-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made Malcolm Wellmaker (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) wonder if he was having horrible deja vu. Wellmaker lost to a UFC newcomer, Ethyn Ewing, last fall in a big upset. Saturday, Diaz gave him two straight upset losses to rookies when he tapped him with a rear-naked choke.
Performance of the Night: Alice Ardelean ($100,000)
Uffff qué forma de terminar la pelea 👀 esa rodilla tardará en recuperarse 🫣 #UFCVegas117 | Ver en vivo por @PPlusDeportespic.twitter.com/XOTaoCAYc9
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) May 16, 2026
Alice Ardelean (12-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) pulled off a first in UFC history when she tapped Polyana Viana (13-9 MMA, 4-8 UFC) with a capsule lock. When Viana locked up a body triangle from her back, Ardelean postured up and used Viana’s own legs to put pressure on the knee and force a verbal tap.
Finish bonus: Bernardo Sopaj ($25,000)
Bernardo Sopaj (13-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) put his grappling to work against Timmy Cuamba (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in the second round. After a close opening frame, Sopaj took Cuamba’s back in a scramble and tapped him with a rear-naked choke.
Finish bonus: Khaos Williams ($25,000)
Khaos Williams (16-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) snapped his skid when he took out Nikolay Veretennikov (14-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) with a first-round TKO. He wanted $100K, but he asked for it — so you know how that goes.
Finish bonus: Thomas Gantt ($25,000)
Thomas Gantt (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) stayed perfect with a stellar UFC debut and a second-round TKO over late replacement Artur Minev (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The former D-I All-American wrestler, who trains with Daniel Cormier, used his strong wrestling to get a ground-and-pound TKO.
Finish bonus: Cody Brundage ($25,000)
Cody Brundage (12-9-1 MMA, 6-8-1 UFC) snapped a four-fight skid with a second-round TKO win over Andre Petroski (13-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC). The win came on his birthday, and Brundage lobbied the UFC for a $100,000 bonus. But as is typical, if the peasants ask for more, the UFC aristocracy typically finds a reason not to reward.
Finish bonus: Nicolle Caliari ($25,000)
Nicolle Caliari (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) kicked off the event with a third-round submission of Shauna Bannon (7-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC). After a back-and-forth first 10 minutes, Caliari found a way to rally late with an arm-triangle choke for her first win in the promotion.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Fight Night 276 bonuses: Alice Ardelean’s voodoo wins $100,000