UFC 194 Bonuses: McGregor, Rockhold, Weidman, Santos Capture $50K Awards

In the long-term, the outcome of the UFC 194 main event is going to make Conor McGregor a very rich man. In the present, his shocking knockout of Jose Aldo netted him an extra $50,000.

McGregor received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his 13-second finish of Jose Aldo at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The SBG Ireland representative stunned his foe with a left cross, then sealed his victory with two follow-up hammerfists on the canvas, giving him the quickest finish in a title bout in UFC history.

Meanwhile, Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman earned $50,000 apiece for a “Fight of the Night” performance in the middleweight co-headliner. The first two rounds were closely contested, but Rockhold turned the tide in the third frame when he caught a kick from Weidman, took his man down and eventually moved to mount. Weidman survived the ensuing barrage of ground-and-pound, but succumbed to what amounted to a repeat effort from the American Kickboxing Academy product 3:12 into round four.

Finally, Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Leonardo Santos garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his upset of prospect Kevin Lee in a preliminary lightweight scrap. Santos dropped Lee with an overhand right and pounced to finish his adversary with unanswered punches on the canvas at the 3:26 mark of round one.