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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
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Matthew Wells

UFC 282 bonuses: Dana White in a giving mood, awards double-digit winners

The final UFC pay-per-view event of 2022 is complete, and the promotion handed out multiple post-fight bonuses.

The 12-fight event saw 10 fights result in early finishes. Each finish earned a bonus, while also awarding a Fight of the Night.

Check out below to see all 11 fighters that took home an extra $50,000 for their performances at UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

'Performance of the Night': Cameron Saaiman

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cameron Saaiman (red gloves) fights Steven Koslow (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Opening the card was a battle between two undefeated fighters. Cameron Saaiman took on Steven Koslow in a fight filled with wild back-and-forth scrambles for the majority of the bout, however, Saaiman found his way to a finish late in the third round. The 21-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series veteran won his UFC debut with a solid finish and takes away a $50,000 bonus as well.

'Performance of the Night': TJ Brown

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; TJ Brown (red gloves) fights Erik Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Like Saaiman in the fight before his, TJ Brown also pulled off a late third-round finish. In another fight filled with back-and-forth scrambles on the mat, Brown locked up an arm triangle submission on Erik Silva to force a tap. The result was his first finish under the UFC banner, and his first Performance of the Night bonus.

'Performance of the Night': Billy Quarantillo

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Billy Quarantillo (red gloves) fights Alexander Hernandez (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Another DWCS veteran took home a bonus for an impressive finish. After losing the first round, Billy Quarantillo completely flipped the script on Anthony Hernandez and put the finishing touches on the fight in the second. The finish marked Quarantillo’s fourth finish in his UFC career, and his second bonus with the promotion.

'Performance of the Night': Chris Curtis

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Chris Curtis (red gloves) fights Joaquin Buckley (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Curtis rebounded from a tough decision loss in his previous outing by getting back to his finishing ways. A perfectly-timed counter punch put Joaquin Buckley down and out in the second round. His fourth win with the promotion was Curtis’ third finish. He also takes home his second POTN bonus, with his previous award coming for a finish of Brendan Allen a year ago.

'Performance of the Night': Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan

In a fight filled with hard striking exchanges, Edmen Shahbazyan stood tall after finishing Dalcha Lungiambula with a furious flurry late in the second round. The victory snapped a three-fight skid for Shahbazyan, and he also takes home the first $50,000 award of his eight-fight UFC career.

'Performance of the Night': Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jairzinho Rozenstruck (red gloves) fights Chris Daukaus (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

If you blinked, you might have missed Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s victory over Chris Daukaus. Rozenstruik took one punch from his opponent before unloading a barrage of strikes to end the fight in just 23 seconds. The win snapped a two-fight skid for “Bigi Boy,” who also takes home the third POTN bonus of his 11-fight UFC tenure.

 

'Performance of the Night': Raul Rosas Jr.

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Raul Roses Jr (red gloves) reacts after fighting Jay Perrin (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Raul Rosas Jr. has arrived. The 18-year-old impressed in his debut with the promotion by making quick work of Jay Perrin in the feature prelim of UFC 282. Activating backpack mode, Rosas Jr. latched onto his opponent until the opportunity to lock in the rear-naked choke came. For his efforts, the youngest winner in UFC history takes home a $50,000 bonus.

'Performance of the Night': Ilia Topuria

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Bryce Mitchell (red gloves) fights Ilia Topuria (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

In the toughest test of his career thus far, Ilia Topuria remained undefeated by submitting the previously-undefeated Bryce Mitchell. Topuria kept his aggression high throughout the fight, and eventually took the grappler to the canvas and finished the fight in his opponent’s world. The result marks four straight finishes for Topuria, and his second consecutive POTN bonus.

'Performance of the Night': Santiago Ponzinibbio

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Santiago Ponzinibbio (red gloves) fights Alex Morono (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Santiago Ponzinibbio was faced with a late opponent change when Robbie Lawler was forced out of their matchup. Alex Morono stepped up on a few days’ notice, and proved to be an incredibly dangerous opponent. Ponzinibbio weathered Morono’s early success, and found the finishing blow from a hard right hand in the third round. The result snapped a two-fight skid, and also put the sixth extra $50,000 check of his UFC career in his pocket.

'Fight of the Night': Dricus Du Plessis vs. Darren Till

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Darren Till (red gloves) fights Dricus Du Plessis (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

In another thrilling fight that reached the final round, Dricus Du Plessis and Darren Till fought tooth and nail. Du Plessis had a dominant first round, but Till rallied in the second as fatigue began to set in. In the final round, Till led the action initially, but Du Plessis took the fight to the ground, where he slapped on a rear-naked choke to get the finish. For their efforts in the exciting back-and-forth affair, both fighters earned an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night. The bonus is the second of Du Plessis’ UFC career and the fourth for Till.

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