With all the anticipation for next week’s loaded UFC 280 card, last night’s UFC Vegas 62 came and went rather quietly. No. 5 women’s flyweight contender was able to hold off No.6 Vivane Araujo, in the evening’s main event, going the distance through five rounds. Five of the night’s 10 contests went the distance, allowing the early finishes to really stand out. That would play a part when the UFC Vegas 62 payouts and bonuses were distributed at the end of the night.
Performance of the Night – Tatsuro Taira & Jonathan Martinez
In just the bout of the evening, Taira delivered a performance worthy of Performance of the night by submitting CJ Vergara late in the second round by armbar. Taira was leading on the scorecard after the first round, with under a minute left in the second frame, he maneuvered beautifully with his Jiu-Jitsu to force Vergara to tap. With the win, Taira continues his 12-fight undefeated streak, improving to 2-0 in the UFC.
While Taira was crafty in orchestrating a submission, Martinez used brutal force to handle Cub Swanson, welcoming him to the ranks of the bantamweight division. In repeated pursuit of the former featherweight, “Dragon” sniped Swanson with leg kicks throughout the fight. Ultimately, Swanson had eaten enough damage and went to the mat in defeat. Coincidentally, Martinez’s victory came at the same time in the second round as Taira’s did, exactly on the 4:19 mark. Both fighters collected a $50,000 bonus on their UFC Vegas 62 payouts.
Two statement finishes earn @TatsuroTaira & @JonathanMyda your #UFCVegas62 POTN bonuses 💰
[ B2YB @VechainOfficial ] pic.twitter.com/ZcLCcoTHfO
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2022
Fight of the Night – Jordan Wright vs Dusko Todorovic
The Fight of the Night was a tale of two rounds in the featured bout of the evening. For the first five minutes, Wright was in control, out-striking Todorovic 58-4, scoring a trio of takedowns as well. Likely aware that he was behind on the scorecards and wearing a beating, the Serbian nicknamed “Thunder” brought the “boom” in the second round. He rained down strike after strike on Wright through the first two minutes, out-striking his opponent 103-8, ultimately getting the TKO. For providing the best battle of the night, Wright and Todorovic each earned a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus on their UFC Vegas 62 payouts.
UFC Vegas 62 Main Card and Preliminaries Payouts
Per commission rules in Nevada, fight contract amounts aren’t made public, and thus we don’t know how much the fighters earned for their appearances. In addition to the nightly performance bonuses, however, we do know a bit more about the fighters’ UFC Vegas 62 payouts with the Venum sponsorship bonus.
Under the Venum sponsorship program, fighters earn a bonus for their appearances, with the amount increasing the more they appear in the Octagon. With 22 UFC fights now under his belt, Swanson was the top earner from the program, collecting an additional $21,000 for his UFC Vegas 62 payouts. Raphael Assuncao isn’t far behind him with his 18th fight, earning him $16,000. The lone debut on the night was Lucas Alexander in a losing effort against Joanderson Brito. Alexander will enjoy his first bonus from Venum with a cool $4,000 in addition to his other earnings.
UFC Vegas 62 Payouts for Venum Sponsorship (based on number of fights in the UFC)
Per the UFC Promotional Guidelines
- $4,000 (1-3 fights): Joanderson Brito (3), Lucas Alexander (debut), Mana Martinez (3), Victor Henry (2), Tatsuro Taira (2), Pete Rodriguez (2), CJ Vergara (3), Piera Rodriguez (2)
- $4,500 (4-5 fights): Nick Maximov (4), Jacob Malkoun (5), Mike Jackson (4)
- $6,000 (6-10 fights): Brandon Davis (9), Alonzo Menifield (9), Jordan Wright (6), Dusko Todorvic (6), Alexa Grasso (10), Viviane Araujo (8), Sam Hughes (6)
- $11,000 (11-15 fights): Misha Cirkunov (13), Jonathan Martinez (11)
- $16,000 (16-20 fights): Raphael Assuncao (18)
- $21,000 (21+ fights): Cub Swanson (22)
UFC Vegas 62 Results
Main Card
- Grasso defeated Araujo by unanimous decision after five rounds.
- Martinez TKO’d Swanson at 4:19 in the second round.
- Todorovic flipped the script from Round 1 to KO Wright at 3:12 in the second round.
- Assuncao earned a unanimous decision win over Henry.
- Menifield KO’d Cirkunov at 1:28 in the first round.
Preliminary Card
- Martinez went the distance with Davis, earning the victory by split decision.
- Malkoun defeated Maximov by unanimous decision after three rounds.
- Brito earned a first-round submission victory over Alexander by rear naked choke at 2:02.
- Rodriguez earned a unanimous decision victory over Hughes
- Taira submitted Vergara by armbar at 4:19 in the second round.
- Rodriguez KO’s Jackson at 1:33 in the first round.
