Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber were handsomely rewarded for their Fight of the Year contender.
On Saturday night, Ribovics and Zellhuber met in a lightweight contest on the main card of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas, and for 15 minutes the two prospects went to war in one of the very best fights of the year. The third round was particularly thrilling as both men got badly hurt at points, and nonetheless battled through in a wild brawl until the final bell. Ultimately, Ribovics took home a split decision victory but both men were well-compensated, earning $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Ignacio Bahamondes and Ketlen Souza also walk away from UFC 306 $50,000 richer, picking up Performance of the Night bonuses for their stoppage wins on the prelims, the only two finishes of the evening. Bahamondes scored a nasty first-round knockout of Manuel Torres in their lightweight bout, and Souza pulled off a technical rear-naked choke over Yazmin Jauregui.