8 Fighters with the Most UFC Post-Fight Bonuses
At UFC 183, Anderson Silva and Joe Lauzon, two of the most prolific bonus winners in UFC history, appeared inside the Octagon.
While The Spider did win in the main event, neither he nor Lauzon was able to take home a bonus on Saturday. Silva has now gone four straight appearances without taking home a bonus, while Lauzon has missed out on bonuses in three of his past four outings.
Since Silva and Lauzon have been slumping in the bonus category, several fighters are gaining ground and closing in on the UFC record. It's a record that doesn't get mentioned much, but there is a clear correlation between the most regular bonus winners and fighter popularity.
Following UFC 183, here are the eight fighters with the most UFC bonuses, with Diego Sanchez, Sam Stout, Wanderlei Silva, Jon Jones and Charles Oliveira all missing the list by only one bonus win.
8. Lyoto Machida
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UFC Bonuses: 8
At one point, fans criticized Lyoto Machida's fighting style. With no bonuses in his first five UFC appearances, some even went as far as saying The Dragon was boring.
However, Machida has evolved into one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA.
The Brazilian's first UFC bonus came in a knockout win over Thiago Silva, which earned him a shot at the 205-pound belt. Machida then went on to knock Rashad Evans out in his next appearance, and that earned him the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Following his win over Evans, though, Machida went on to win only two bonuses in his next eight outings. Most notably, Machida stopped UFC legend Randy Couture with an unprecedented crane kick.
Ultimately, a move to the middleweight division caused the bonuses to start piling up. Since dropping to 185 pounds, Machida has earned bonuses in four consecutive bouts, giving him a total of three Fight of the Night wins, four Knockout of the Night wins and a Performance of the Night award.
6T. Clay Guida
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UFC Bonuses: 9
Clay Guida has had some snoozers over the years, but he can be as entertaining as anybody in the UFC when he enters the Octagon with an aggressive game plan.
The Carpenter made his UFC debut in October 2006 and earned Submission of the Night honors with a rear-naked choke against Justin James. Since then, Guida has made a habit of earning bonuses, never going more than three straight fights without earning one throughout his UFC career.
While he has three Submission of the Night wins, Guida's six Fight of the Night honors have definitely received the most attention. Though he was on the losing end of both matchups, Guida's bouts with Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez were Fight of the Year candidates in 2007 and 2009.
Having earned only one bonus in his past five appearances, Guida appears to be fighting more conservatively recently. Since he's only posted a 2-3 record over that span, a return to pushing the pace could be coming in Guida's next outing.
6T. Frankie Edgar
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UFC Bonuses: 9
In February 2007, Frankie Edgar kicked off his UFC career with Fight of the Night honors in a win over Tyson Griffin. Edgar then went three straight fights without winning a bonus, but he hasn't gone more than two in a row without taking home extra cash since 2008.
Edgar did the most damage during his reign as lightweight champion. At one point, between his battles with Gray Maynard and Benson Henderson, Edgar won bonuses in three consecutive bouts.
Since moving to 145 pounds, he hasn't slowed down at all. The former 155-pound champion has earned bonuses in three of his four featherweight contests, including his first Performance of the Night win in a dominant performance against Cub Swanson.
In addition to his Performance of the Night bonus, Edgar has earned seven Fight of the Night awards and one Knockout of the Night, which came in his third meeting with Maynard.
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4T. Chris Lytle
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UFC Bonuses: 10
Chris Lytle had his initial UFC appearance in November 2000, but he didn't win a bonus until July 2007.
After earning his way back onto the UFC roster via The Ultimate Fighter 4, Lytle became one of the most entertaining fighters in the world. Earning 10 bonuses in 13 showings from July 2007 until his retirement in August 2011, he forgot what having a boring bout meant.
There was one point where Lights Out earned bonuses in four consecutive outings. He also ended his career with three bonuses in his final two matchups, earning Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night in his farewell against Dan Hardy.
Lytle ended his career with six Fight of the Night wins, a Knockout of the Night award and three Submission of the Night performances. He'll end up sliding down this list a bit over time, but Lytle will go down as one of the most fun fighters to watch in MMA based on how quickly he racked up 10 bonuses.
4T. Donald Cerrone
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UFC Bonuses: 10
Donald Cerrone didn't join the UFC roster until the WEC merger in February 2011, but Cowboy has gained ground on the UFC bonus leaders in a hurry.
Competing as regularly as five times in one calendar year has certainly helped. Cerrone has never been one to turn down a scrap, and it's given him many opportunities to pick up bonuses as a result.
At UFC 126, Cerrone kicked off his UFC career with a Fight of the Night win against Paul Kelly. Since then, Cowboy hasn't gone more than three fights in a row without earning bonus money, but he'll be looking to prevent that number from changing to four in his next outing.
In 2011 alone, Cerrone took home four bonuses, including bonus wins in three straight bouts at one point. At the beginning of his current winning streak, he also captured bonuses in four consecutive appearances.
Cowboy hasn't been doing it in only one way either. He's earned three Fight of the Night awards, three Knockout of the Night honors, two Submission of the Night performances and two Performance of the Night wins.
3. Nate Diaz
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UFC Bonuses: 11
After winning TUF 5, Diaz quickly rose toward the top, beginning his UFC career with a 5-0 record inside the Octagon.
Even more impressive was how Diaz was picking up his wins. Following his win over Manny Gamburyan in the TUF final, he earned bonuses in seven straight contests.
A separate streak that included bonuses in three straight fights against Takanori Gomi, Cerrone and Jim Miller earned Diaz a title shot in December 2012. However, he went on to lose to then-champion Benson Henderson.
Over the course of his UFC career, Diaz has not gone more than two bouts in a row without winning a bonus. Along the way, he's earned five Fight of the Night awards, as many Submission of the Night honors and a Knockout of the Night win.
2. Anderson Silva
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UFC Bonuses: 12
With a Knockout of the Night win in his June 2006 debut against an incredibly tough Chris Leben, it was clear that Silva had a special UFC career ahead.
In his next outing, The Spider earned Knockout of the Night honors against Rich Franklin, earning the UFC Middleweight Championship. So began the most impressive title reign in MMA history.
On three separate occasions, Silva has won two bonuses in one showing. Without a bonus in his past four outings, though, he is in the longest drought of his career and could call it quits soon.
With three Fight of the Night wins, seven Knockout of the Night honors and two Submission of the Night performances, Silva's place in UFC history is set.
1. Joe Lauzon
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UFC Bonuses: 13
Following a surprise Knockout of the Night win in his UFC debut against former champion Jens Pulver, Joe Lauzon was clearly going to be a fun fighter to watch. As it's turned out, he might go down as the most entertaining competitor in UFC history.
At no point has Lauzon gone more than two straight appearances without winning a bonus. Moreover, there's only been one time he went more than one bout without taking home a bonus.
From 2009 to 2011, Lauzon went on an outstanding streak, earning bonuses in six straight contests.
Despite how his career began, Lauzon has mostly gotten to the top of this list with exciting bouts and submissions rather than knockouts. Since his win over Pulver, Lauzon has earned six Fight of the Night honors and six Submission of the Night wins.
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