UFC Vegas 93 bonuses and aftermath: Headliner grabs $50K after injury ends main event
UFC Vegas 93 has wrapped up and left many talking points. The event was headlined by a flyweight showdown between Tatsuro Taira and former UFC title challenger Alex Perez.
Held on June 15, the card was the 100th fight event to take place at the UFC Apex Facility in Enterprise, Nevada.
Another interesting thing to note is that the main event was the fourth 125-pound matchup to headline a UFC card in 2024, the most in a calendar year in the history of the promotion's flyweight division.
The main event had a shaky start as the fight was paused multiple times due to accidental eye pokes by Taira. In the second round, the 24-year-old Japanese fighter climbed on Perez's back. This resulted in Perez twisting his knee and falling to the ground.
The gruesome injury caused referee Herb Dean to step in and stop the fight. Taira was declared the winner by TKO (knee injury). With the victory, he extended his undefeated run to 16-0. Taira was also among the winners of the Performance of the Night bonus and took home an additional sum of $50,000.
The knee injury added to the unfortunate run Perez is currently on. After being out of action for nearly two years, the 32-year-old returned in 2024 and booked three fights in a four-month span. The Californian lost two out of those three encounters and now with the injury is expected to be sidelined for approximately a year.
Another interesting trivia about UFC Vegas 93 is that only one of the six fighters from 'Dana White's Contender Series' (DWCS) managed to secure a victory. This does not include matchups that involved two DWCS veterans.
Brady Hiestand also received a Performance of the Night bonus for defeating Garrett Armfield via a rear-naked choke in the third round of their fight.
Carli Judice and Gabriella Fernandes locked horns in the prelims of UFC Vegas 93 and delivered a back-and-forth thriller fight. Their bout was awarded the Fight of the Night and both fighters received a bonus of $50,000.