UFC 313 bonuses and aftermath: Justin Gaethje and three others bag $50K, Magomed Anakalev gets closer to Islam Makhachev's record, $10M gate, and more
UFC 313 delivered spectacular fire fights and woeful heartbreaks for the fans. When the curtains fell on the pay-per-view, four fighters walked away with $50K each in performance bonuses.
The event has proved quite lucrative for the promotion, bringing in a live gate of $10.1 million with an 18,869-strong crowd in attendance. This pay-per-view event is now the ninth-highest-grossing UFC gate in the T-Mobile Arena.
Check out the announced gate for UFC 313 below:
Coming to the aftermath, Alex Pereira's days as the UFC's premier superstar seem to have come to a close, or at least have been put on pause.
In the main event of UFC 313, 'Poatan' was outclassed by Magomed Ankalaev as the Dagestani effectively mixed up wrestling and striking to largely neutralize the Brazilain's feared stand-up game.
Arguably, this could be the first time 'Poatan' fans have seen their superstar gun-shy and forced to go on the back foot for prolonged stretches. That being said, many in the fight community viewed the fight as a close one and were surprised to see Ankalaev being awarded a unanimous decision win.
Fans particularly raised an issue with judge Sal D'Amato's 49-46 scorecard in the challenger's favor.
Ankalaev now ranks third in terms of active unbeaten streaks in the promotion with 14 to his name. He is now a single win shy of Islam Makhachev's streak, in a list topped by Jon Jones with 20.
The Fight of the Night bonus for UFC 313 went to the three-round slug feat between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. 'The Highlight' has now won 13 fight bonuses in his UFC career.
Check out Justin Gaethje's exploits in UFC below:
The former interim lightweight champion made a stunning return to winning ways, clinching a unanimous decision over Fiziev.
While 'Ataman' showed incredible striking prowess, the short-notice replacement visibly gassed out as the fight progressed, enabling The Highlight' to shift the momentum in his favor.
The Performance of the Night bonus went to lightweights Ignacio Bahamondes and Mauricio Ruffy.
Bahamondes earned his bonus check with a stunning first-round triangle choke finish over the No.13 ranked Jalin Turner. Following the loss, Turner announced his retirement from MMA.
Ruffy, on the other hand, delivered a stunning wheel kick knockout over King Green. His was the 16th wheel kick KO in UFC history.
Check out the UFC 313 bonus stats below:
On the prelims card of UFC 313, in a historic matchup featuring the very first UFC clash between two fighters born in the 2000s, Joshua Van earned a unanimous decision over Rai Tsuruya.
Van is now tied for the second-longest win streak at flyweight with three back-to-back wins to his name.
Elsewhere on the prelims, Brunno Ferreira claimed a second-round triangle arm-bar submission win over Armen Petrosyan. 'The Hulk' is now tied for the most finishes in the UFC since 2023, with four.