After much anticipation, UFC 276: Adesanya vs Cannonier came and went. One could easily understand the hype, with ranked fighters in action throughout the event from the early preliminaries and through the headliners. When all was said and done, however, the reviews of the night were rather mixed, voiced by many on Twitter and elsewhere due to a perceived lack of aggression at times by the athletes. There were, of course, moments of brilliance, and those who displayed it were adequately rewarded. See who earned the fight bonuses for the night.
Performance of the Night – Jalin Turner, Julija Stoliarenko, Alex Peireira
UFC 276 featured just five early finishes, with the exception of the “no contest” verdict for the bout between Sean O’Malley and Pedro Munhoz. Of that handful, three athletes finished their opponents in the first round, and they were each rewarded with a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
What a start to tonight’s card by Julija Stoliarenko 😳
[ #UFC276 Early Prelims starting NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/zRLEv8rG6R
— UFC (@ufc) July 2, 2022
Julija Stoliarenko got the evening started in the first fight of the night, all the way back in the early preliminaries, taking on Jessica-Rose Clark. It took her just 42 seconds to lock Clark in a controversial armbar that some believe may have been held too long after Clark tapped. Jalin Turner’s win also came by submission, getting on top of Brad Riddell and executing a brutal guillotine to perfection to close out the preliminary card. On the main card, Alex Pereira landed a power shot to Sean Strickland, likely setting him up with a title shot as well as his fight bonus.
Fight of the Night – Robbie Lawler vs Bryan Barberena
It didn’t go three rounds, but at the pace that Robbie Lawler and Bryan Barberena were fighting at, that’s not a surprise. The two opponents delivered blow after blow throughout the first round, each being staggered. When the second round started, it looked like Lawler might be gaining the upper hand when Barberena seemed to have dazed Lawler and then poured it on from there.
The card overall may have been lacking fireworks, especially compared to some recent UFC cards, but Lawler and Barberena’s battle would give any of the others a run for their money. Speaking of such, Lawler and Barberena don’t just get the title of Fight of the Night, they each earned a $50,000 bonus for their performance.
BAM BAM GETS IT DONE!!!!
[ @Bryan_Barberena | #UFC276 | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/f2ejdXxGz3 ] pic.twitter.com/4XTKFCLziZ
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022
Crypto.com Fan Bonuses of the Night
At UFC 273, the organization announced a new bonus following each fight, this one to be determined by the fans. Paid out in cryptocurrency by Crypto.com, fans go to the currency’s website to vote for three fighters from pay-per-view UFC cards that they want to give scaling crypto bonuses. For UFC 276, Israel Adesanya received 20 percent of the vote, taking home $30,000 in Bitcoin. Behind him, Alexander Volkanovski had the second-highest vote, earning him $20,000 in Bitcoin, while Pereira got another bonus for the evening, placing third in the fan vote, good for $10,000 in the cryptocurrency.
Main Card and Preliminaries Payouts*
The UFC doesn’t release the amounts each athlete makes on their contracts for most events, but what we do know are the promotional payout amounts. For each fight in the Octagon, fighters have the opportunity to increase their promotional bonus amount from the organization’s Venum sponsorship over time. UFC 276 had a good mix of veterans and rising talents, with the vast majority of the card holding at least five fights in the organization under their belt.
Speaking of belts, Volkanovksi and Adesanya each collected a $42,000 sponsorship bonus for their championship status entering the night, and will enjoy the same amount in their next contests as they both won their defenses. Their challengers, Holloway and Cannonier, earned $32,000 from the Venum sponsorship despite being unsuccessful in their title campaigns. Elsewhere on the card, Brad Tavares received a $5,000 increase in his sponsorship bonus, appearing in his 21st UFC fight and reaching the $21,000 threshold.
Venum Sponsorship Payouts (based on number of fights in the UFC)
Per the UFC Promotional Guidelines
- $4,000 (1-3 fights): Dricus Du Plessis (3), Ian Garry (3), Alex Pereira (3)
- $4,500 (4-5 fights): Julija Stoliarenko (5), Andre Muniz (5), Gabe Green (4)
- $6,000 (6-10 fights): Jessica-Rose Clark (8), Maycee Barber (9), Brad Riddell (6), Jalin Turner (8), Sean O’Malley (10)
- $11,000 (11-15 fights): Bryan Barberena (15)
- $16,000 (16-20 fights): Jessica Eye (16), Urijah Hall (19), Pedro Munhoz (18), Sean Strickland (16)
- $21,000 (21+ fights): Brad Tavares (21), Jim Miller (40), Donald Cerrone (38), Robbie Lawler (24)
- $32,000 Title Challenger: Max Holloway, Jared Cannonier
- $42,000 Champion: Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya
UFC 276: Adesanya vs Cannonier Results
Main Card
- Israel Adesanya defeated Jared Cannonier – Unanimous Decision
- Alexander Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway – Unanimous Decision
- Alex Pereira KO’d Sean Strickland – Round 1
- Bryan Barberena TKO’d Robbie Lawler – Round 2
- Sean O’Malley and Pedro Munhoz – No Contest (accidental eye poke) – Round two
Preliminary Card
- Jalin Turner submitted Brad Riddell by guillotine – Round 1
- Jim Miller submitted Donald Cerrone by guillotine – Round 2
- Ian Garry defeated Gabe Green – Unanimous Decision
- Dricus Du Plessis defeated Brad Tavares – Unanimous Decision
Early Preliminary Card
- Andre Muniz defeated Uriah Hall – Unanimous Decision
- Maycee Barber defeated Jessica Eye – Unanimous Decision
- Julija Stoliarenko submitted Jessica-Rose Clark by armbar – Round 1
