UFC 294 Bonuses: Islam Makhachev Among Four ‘Performance of the Night’ Winners

Islam Makhachev left a lasting stamp on the UFC 294 proceedings.

The reigning lightweight champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round knockout of featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Makhachev hurt his opponent with a head kick and then finished the victory with follow-up punches at the 3:06 mark of Round 1 for his 13th consecutive UFC triumph.

Elsewhere, Ikram Aliskerov received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” paycheck for making short work of Warlley Alves in a featured middleweight contest. Aliskerov rocked his Brazilian foe with a flying knee before unloading with punches to force the stoppage 2:07 into the opening round.

Earlier, Said Nurmagomedov garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a first-round submission of Muin Gafarov in a bantamweight clash. The former World Fighting Championship Akhmat title holder capitalized on his opponent’s ill-timed aggression, locking in a guillotine choke to secure the tapout 73 seconds into Round 1.

Finally, surging contender Muhammad Mokaev took home the card’s final $50,000 “Performance of the Night” payment by virtue of his submission of Tim Elliott in a preliminary flyweight scrap. Mokaev elicited a tap from his veteran foe with an arm-triangle choke at the 3:03 mark of Round 3.