UFC Vegas 115 delivered big finishes and big checks at the Meta Apex, but the $100,000 performance bonuses sparked immediate backlash over who was left out.
The card, held as UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan, featured increased $100,000 bonuses. Alice Pereira secured one of the performance awards for a knee knockout, while Alessandro Costa took home another with a liver shot finish. Fight of the Night went to the matchup between Tommy McMillen and Manolo Zecchini.
Debate flared when other bouts were floated as potential Fight of the Night candidates, including Jose Mauro Delano vs. Robert Ruchala, Kai Kamaka vs. Dakota Hope, Tresean Gore vs. Azamat Bekoev, and Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gato.
Some people were also upset that Ethyn Ewing and Renato Moicano did not receive performance bonuses despite dominant finishes, fueling further discussion about how the boosted $100,000 rewards were distributed.
The event had already drawn criticism from some fans beforehand for lacking ranked or well-known fighters, and the bonus outcomes only intensified the conversation over which performances truly deserved the upgraded payouts.
