UFC 245 Bonuses: Usman, Covington Earn ‘Fight of the Night’ Honors for Main Event War

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington went toe-to-toe for nearly five rounds at UFC 245, and they received some extra compensation for their efforts.

Usman and Covington garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their headlining clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While both men are known for their wrestling ability, the contest was an entirely striking-based affair. Usman and Covington traded liberally on the feet throughout, with “The Nigerian Nightmare” earning a TKO stoppage at the 4:10 mark of the fifth frame to retain his welterweight crown.

Elsewhere, Petr Yan received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award after dispatching popular veteran Urijah Faber by knockout in the third round of a featured bantamweight encounter. Yan dropped his foe three times in the bout and sealed his victory with a close-quarters head kick 43 seconds into the final frame.

Finally, Irene Aldana captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check on the strength of her first-round knockout of Ketlen Vieira in a preliminary bantamweight scrap. After likely losing the majority of the round, Aldana knocked her opponent unconscious with a spectacular leaping left hook at the 4:51 mark of Round 1.