UFC: Top 5 Bonus Winners and Other Records
Fight bonuses are used to get the fighters to fight to their full potential and give a good performance in hope of receiving a big reward from UFC President Dana White.
The list will include the top five figthers who have received the biggest amount from bonuses from UFC 70 to UFC on Versus: Sanchez vs. Kampmann.
Other slides will include the fighter with the most fight of the night awards, most bonus money won in a single year, most consecutive awards won and more.
Which Fighter Has the Record for Most Bonuses Won?
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Both Anderson Silva and Chris Lytle have received a total of eight bonus awards.
Since UFC 70, Lytle has had 11 fights inside the Octagon and Silva has had 10. Both have only fought once on the same night at UFC 73. Even though Anderson Silva knocked out Nate Marquardt on that card, no "Knockout of the Night" bonus was awarded. Lytle received the "Submission of the Night" award for defeating Jason Gilliam that same night.
As both fighters move into their late 30s, it will be interesting to see where the fighters' careers go and if one can take the lead.
Who Has the Most 'Submission of the Night' Awards?
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Demian Maia submitted his first five opponents in the UFC and earned him four "Submission of the Night" awards. There are 17 fighters with four or more bonuses, but Maia took the submission bonus record with his win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 95.
He hasn't won a fight by submission since then, and with his last four fights going the distance including his five-round title fight, he will have to make some adjustments to keep his this honor.
What makes this record more impressive is of the 79 awards given out for SOTN since UFC 70, a total of 59 different fighters have taken home the award.
Who Has the Most 'Knockout of the Night' Bonuses?
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It's actually a three-way tie between champions Cain Velasquez, Anderson Silva and lightweight fighter Jeremy Stephens. They all have three "Knockout of the Night" bonuses.
If it's a pick between the most spectacular knockouts, Silva probably takes that distinction, although Stephens has had memorable knockout victories verus Marcus Davis and Rafael Dos Anjos.
Silva was awarded for knocking out Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin. Velasquez won an award for finishing Dennis Stojnic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar.
76 total KOTN bonuses have been given out with 63 different fighters taking home the reward.
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Who Has the Most 'Fight of the Night' Awards?
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This may be the obvious choice, and it's the right one. Chris Lytle has had five FOTN bonuses including a three-fight bonus-streak versus Kevin Burns, Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor.
In his most recent "Fight of the Night" performance against Brian Ebersole, Lytle overtook Nate Diaz and Tyson Griffin who both come in second with four FOTN awards.
Despite receiving eight bonuses and winning five of those fights, Lytle still has never fought for a title.
Which Country's Fighters Have Won the Most Awards?
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Fighters from the U.S. have taken home 210 awards since UFC 70. That number overwhelmingly surpasses Brazil with 52 awards in total.
15 bonuses were awarded to fighters from England, including three to Michael Bisping, Terry Etim and Paul Taylor.
Who Has the Most Consecutive Fight Bonuses?
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Nate Diaz started his UFC career with a five-fight win streak, and he also holds the record for most consecutive times winning a bonus at five. It all started at UFN 13 when he submitted Kurt Pellegrino with a triangle choke and won him the "Submission of the Night" award.
Three FOTN awards followed, capped off by a SOTN over Melvin Guillard.
Who Has Won the Most Bonus Money in a Single Year?
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In 2009, Alan Belcher fought a total of three times and won an award for each fight earning him $205,000.
His 2009 bouts with Wilson Gouveia, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Denis Kang are the first of a four-fight bonus streak he is currently on.
Top 5 Fighters with Most Bonus Money
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There have been 68 fighters who have won more than $100,000 and 17 fighters who have banked more than $200,000.
These are the top five.
No. 5 (Tie) Clay Guida
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Since his UFC debut at UFC 64, Guida has banked $240,000 in bonuses.
Of his awards include three "Fight of the Night" awards and two "Submission of the Night" honors.
His next bout with be agaisnt WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. That is a guaranteed "Fight of the Night" that should expand this amount.
No. 5 (Tie) Joe Lauzon
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Lauzon ties Guida with $240,000 also in bonus money. He has won three "Fight of the Nights" and two "Submission of the Nights. since UFC 70. He is currently on a four-fight bonus streak.
The 26-year-old already has already claimed his spot in the lightweight division, and with a 6-3 record inside the UFC, still has a lot to show to his fans.
No. 4 (Tie) Alan Belcher
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Belcher has fought eight times since UFC 70, and his last four bouts have all earned him bonuses, earning him an extra $270,000.
He went 3-1 in those fights and is coming off a submission victory over Patrick Cote that earned him a $65,000 "Submission of the Night" award.
He also took home a $100,000 award for his fight at UFC 100. This is not the highest bonus given out. Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann each recieved a $160,000 bonus for their fight.
No. 4 (Tie) Josh Koscheck
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After being awarded the "Fight of the Night" $100,000 bonus in his championship fight at UFC 125 versus Georges St. Pierre, Koscheck can say he has made $270,000 in fight bonuses.
In his bout with Anthony Johnson at UFC 106, he defeated his opponent by a second-round submission and won two bonuses for $70,000 each.
His other bonus was for knocking out Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC Fight for the Troops. He got $30,000 for that victory.
No. 3 Diego Sanchez
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In his Gatti-like performance versus Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez received a $160,000 bonus for "Fight of the Night". In total, he has earned $295,000 in fight bonuses.
All of Sanchez' awards have come in the form of "Fight of the Night." His bouts with Paulo Thiago, Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson all earned him big bonuses and raised his reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.
No. 2 Chris Lytle
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With eight fights winning him a bonus, Lytle has compiled a massive $385,000 for his effort.
His bonuses include five "Fight of the Night" awards, two "Submission of the Night" awards and one "Knockout of the Night".
Being a veteran of over 50 professional MMA bouts and never being stopped, Lytle has been in some of the bloodiest and most brutal fights any fan can imagine.
The aggressive style that he pursued after the loss to Matt Serra has changed his career in more ways than one. He has earned more money and gathered a massive amount of respect from fans for his style. As long as he keeps fighting, don't count on anything changing.
No. 1 Anderson Silva
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At $475,000, Silva holds the record for most bonus money won by a fighter, and he is doing it as the UFC middleweight champion and "Pound-for-Pound" number one fighter in the sport.
In total, Silva has recieved eight awards. These include three "Knockout of the Night" awards, two "Submission of the Night" awards and three "Fight of the Night" awards.
Fans have criticized the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt for his lack of interest in several of the five-round fights where he chose not to engage his opponent, but he does have enough thrilling victories and bonuses that can eliminate the pressure that comes from that.
If he can pull off a bonus award for a fight with Yushin Okami or Georges St. Pierre, it will be something nobody will want to miss.
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