When it comes to earning a fight bonus in the UFC, it isn’t about winning, it’s about how you win. In the UFC Vegas 65 payouts, the promotion rewarded the four fighters who finished their fights in style, all of which ended by knockouts. Saturday’s early event was yet another Fight Night event where the UFC elected to not distribute a Fight of the Night bonus.
Performance of the Night – Natalia Silva, Jack Della Maddalena, Muslim Salikhov, Kennedy Nzechukwu
Natalia Silva got the card jumpstarted in the first fight of the day as she took on Tereza Bleda. In the final frame of their contest, Silva caught Bleda with a spinning heel kick and followed it up with strikes to put her opponent to sleep. The next six fights on the afternoon would go the distance until Jack Della Maddalena scored the only first-round finish of the event with a TKO win over Danny Roberts.
Getting #UFCVegas65 kicked off with a bang 💥 pic.twitter.com/b0lBlxXKe8
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2022
With the cancelation of the card’s main event, both Muslim Salikhov and Kennedy Nzechekwu saw their respective bouts move to later on the card. Facing the year’s busiest fighter in the UFC in Andre Fialho, Salikhov rocked the up-and-comer in the second and third rounds, picking up a big win to likely close out 2022 on a high note. Getting promoted to the main event, Nzechekwu likewise capitalized on the opportunity presented to him, getting a dominant TKO victory over the card’s most experienced fighter, Ion Cutelaba. For bringing the fireworks, Silva, Della Maddalena, Salikhov, and Nzechukwu all earned an extra $50,000 in their UFC Vegas 65 payouts with the Performance of the Night bonus.
UFC Vegas 65 Payouts – Venum Sponsorship Bonuses (based on number of fights in the UFC)
*Per the UFC Promotional Guidelines
- $4,000 (1-3 fights): Natalia Silva (2), Tereza Bleda (1), Brady Hiestand (2), Fernie Garcia (2), Maria Oliveira (3), Ricky Turcios (3), Kevin Natividad (3), Charles Johnson (2), Jack Della Maddalena (3), Waldo Cortes-Acosta (2)
- $4,500 (4-5 fights): Vanessa Demopoulos (4), Andre Fialho (5)
- $6,000 (6-10 fights): Vince Morales (8), Miles Johns (6), Jennifer Maia (10), Maryna Moroz (10), Zhalgas Zhumagulov (6), Muslim Salikhov (8), Kennedy Nzechukwu (8)
- $11,000 (11-15 fights): Danny Roberts (13), Chase Sherman (14), Ion Cutelaba (14)
- $16,000 (16-20 fights): N/A
- $21,000 (21+ fights): N/A
UFC Vegas 65 Results
Main Card
- CANCELED – Due to an illness to Derrick Lewis, per the UFC broadcast.
- Kennedy Nzechukwu TKO’d Ion Cutelaba at 1:02 in Round 2.
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta defeated Chase Sherman by unanimous decision.
- Muslim Salikhov TKO’d Andre Fialho at 1:03 in Round 3.
- Jack Della Maddalena TKO’d Danny Roberts at 3:24 in Round 1.
- Charles Johnson defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov by split decision.
Preliminary Card
- Jennifer Maia defeated Maryna Moroz by unanimous decision.
- Miles Johns defeated Vince Morales by unanimous decision.
- Ricky Turcios defeated Kevin Natividad by split decision.
- Vanessa Demopoulos defeated Maria Oliveira by unanimous decision.
- Brady Hiestand defeated Fernie Garcia by unanimous decision.
- Natalia Silva KO’d Tereza Bleda at 1:27 in Round 3.
