Coming down from UFC 280 to UFC Vegas 63 almost felt like going from getting Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups at one house to receiving candy corn at the next when you were trick-or-treating as a child. Of course, like that time too, you have been pleasantly surprised then, as well as on Saturday, that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed it might be. In fact, the UFC Fight Night was arguably better than advertised, and this was reflected in the UFC Vegas 63 payouts and bonuses.
Of the 11 fights on the card, only four went the distance. The fights were explosive, highlighted by five first-round finishes, four of which were upsets. With so many dominant victories, the UFC apparently didn’t see a contest worthy of Fight of the Night, opting instead to reward individual performances.
Performance of the Night – Tresean Gore, Roman Dolidze, Steve Garcia, Christian Rodriguez
The standard for scary-fast finishes was set right out of the gate by Christian Rodriguez in the first fight of the night. Facing a new opponent in Josh Weems on late notice, Rodriguez apparently decided to take care of things quickly, practically nullifying any preparation Weems may have made for him. Rodriguez got the win by submission with an anaconda choke in just 53 seconds. Surprisingly, however, that wasn’t even the fastest finish of the night.
Presenting your #UFCVegas63 POTN winners 🤑 pic.twitter.com/6F6FD5Hzah
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2022
An underdog in the main event of the preliminary card, Roman Dolidze made his doubters pay, literally, as he earned a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes. Dolidze started striking from the start, ultimately overwhelming Hawes and putting him to sleep. On that note, Tresean Gore made Josh Fremd pass out on the main card with a ninja choke early in the second round before Fremd lost consciousness and the fight was waived off, securing yet another underdog victory on the card.
The first upset of the night came in the third contest with Steve Garcia taking on rising talent Chase Hooper. Drawing early odds of +180 at the betting window, Garcia came out of the gates hot, brutalizing Hooper early with heavy blows. In just over 90 seconds, he delivered 29 significant strikes, recording a trio of knockdowns. On the last one, the official had no choice but to call the fight off. Garcia, Dolidze, Gore, and Rodriguez each earned a $50,000 bonus with their UFC Vegas 63 payouts.
Fight of the Night – None
Despite a pair of fights being decided by split decision, the bouts apparently weren’t noteworthy enough for a Fight of the Night bonus. One that should have received serious consideration was the light heavyweight contest between Dustin Jacoby and Khalil Rountree. Opening the main card, Rountree got the nod from the judges, and even he was surprised. Jacoby did more work, landing more strikes and significant strikes, but in terms of damage, Rountree’s performance was worn across his opponent’s face. Both fighters would have surely appreciated the $50,000 bonuses on their UFC 63 payouts, and rightfully so.
UFC Vegas 63 Venum Sponsorship Bonuses (based on number of fights in the UFC)
*Per the UFC Promotional Guidelines
- $4,000 (1-3 fights): Christian Rodriguez (2), Josh Weems (debut), Joseph Holmes (3), Josh Fremd (2), Tresean Gore (3), Waldo Cortes Acosta (debut), Carlos Mota (debut)
- $4,500 (4-5 fights): Steve Garcia (4)
- $6,000 (6-10 fights): Cody Durden (6), Chase Hooper (6), Junyong Park (7), Phil Hawes (6), Roman Dolidze (6), Dustin Jacoby (10), Jared Vanderaa (7), Arnold Allen (10)
- $11,000 (11-15 fights): Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15), Khalil Rountree Jr (12), Max Griffin (14), Calvin Kattar (12)
- $16,000 (16-20 fights): N/A
- $21,000 (21+ fights): Andrei Arlovski (38), Tim Means (25)
UFC Vegas 63 Results
- Arnold Allen defeated Calvin Kattar by TKO at :08 in Round 2.
- Max Griffin defeated Tim Means by split decision.
- Waldo Cortes Acosta defeated Jared Vanderaa by unanimous decision.
- Tresean Gore submitted Josh Fremd by ninja choke at 4:11 in Round 2.
- Khalil Rountree Jr. defeated Dustin Jacoby by split decision.
Preliminary Card
- Roman Dolidze KO’d Phil Hawes at 4:09 in Round 1
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima submitted Andrei Arlovski by rear naked choke in Round 1.
- Junyong Park submitted Joseph Holmes by rear naked choke at 3:04 in Round 2
- Steve Garcia TKO’d Chase Hooper by strikes at 3:27 in Round 1
- Cody Durden defeated Carlos Mota by decision after 15 minutes.
- Christian Rodriguez submitted Josh Weems at 4:07 in Round 1.
