Are you wondering who has the most UFC bonuses or how UFC bonuses work?
In this article, we’ll look at 50 UFC fighters with the most UFC bonuses of all time, how UFC bonuses work, and whether the UFC pays bonuses for Knockout and Submission of the Night.
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Who Has the Most UFC Bonuses of All Time? (Top 50)
Charles Oliveira has the most UFC bonuses of all time at 19. This is made up of 3 Fight of the Night, 3 Submission of the Night, and 13 Performance of the Night bonuses for a total of $950,000 ($50,000 each).
Charles Oliveira made his UFC debut on August 1, 2010, earning his first bonus (Submission of the Night) by submitting Darren Elkins. His next fight is on October 21, 2023.
Charles Oliveira is closely followed by Donald Cerrone at 18, Nate Diaz at 16, and Joe Lauzon at 15, all of whom have retired.
Here’s a table showing the 50 UFC fighters with the most UFC bonuses of all time.
| UFC Fighter | Fight of the Night | Knockout of the Night | Submission of the Night | Performance of the Night | Total |
| Charles Oliveira | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 |
| Donald Cerrone | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 18 |
| Nate Diaz | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| Joe Lauzon | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| Anderson Silva | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Jim Miller | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| Dustin Poirier | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| Justin Gaethje | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| Tony Ferguson | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| Frankie Edgar | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Edson Barboza | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Chris Lytle | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Jeremy Stephens | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Conor McGregor | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Max Holloway | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Clay Guida | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Glover Teixeira | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Lyoto Machida | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Demetrious Johnson | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Stipe Miocic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Cub Swanson | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Yair Rodríguez | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| Jon Jones | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Matt Brown | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| Jessica Andrade | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Anthony Johnson | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| T.J. Dillashaw | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Maurício Rua | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Stefan Struve | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Diego Sanchez | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Anthony Pettis | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Yoel Romero | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Demian Maia | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Chan Sung Jung | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Ovince Saint Preux | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Rafael dos Anjos | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Robert Whittaker | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Vicente Luque | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Marlon Vera | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Stephen Thompson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Kelvin Gastelum | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Israel Adesanya | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Alex Caceres | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Paul Craig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Derrick Lewis | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Sean O’Malley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Travis Browne | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Ronda Rousey | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Rose Namajunas | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Francis Ngannou | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Who Has the Most UFC Performance of the Night Bonuses?
Charles Oliveira has the most UFC Performance of the Night bonuses at 13. Second with 8 UFC Performance of the Night bonuses is Paul Craig.
Tied third with 7 UFC Performance of the Night bonuses are Donald Cerrone, Conor McGregor, and Ovince Saint Preux.
Who Has the Most UFC Fight of the Night Bonuses?
Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, Frankie Edgar, and Edson Barboza are tied for the most UFC Fight of the Night bonuses at 8.
Nate Diaz and Frankie Edgar are no longer with the UFC so it’ll likely be Dustin Poirier and Edson Barboza who battle it out to become the record holder for the most UFC Fight of the Night bonuses.
Behind them tied in second at 7 UFC Fight of the Night bonuses are Joe Lauzon, Jim Miller, Justin Gaethje, and Diego Sanchez. Justin Gaethje is the only fighter likely to challenge for the record.
Who Has the Most UFC Knockout of the Night Bonuses?
Anderson Silva has the most UFC Knockout of the Night bonuses at 7.
This is a UFC record that’ll last forever as the UFC no longer has the Knockout of the Night bonus since 2014.
Who Has the Most UFC Submission of the Night Bonuses?
Joe Lauzon has the most UFC Submission of the Night bonuses at 6.
This is a UFC record that’ll last forever as the UFC no longer has the Submission of the Night bonus since 2014.
How Do UFC Bonuses Work?
As of August 2023, there are 4 UFC bonuses fighters can earn at each UFC event, paid at Dana White’s discretion. The main two are:
- Fight of the Night
- Performance of the Night.
The Fight of the Night bonus pays each fighter $50,000 and is limited to 1 fight only.
The Performance of the Night bonus pays each fighter $50,000, with a minimum of 2 and an uncapped upper limit.
Most UFC events see 2 Performance of the Night bonuses awarded and sometimes 4.
However, the record for Performance of the Night bonuses is 9, set at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall in London, on March 19, 2022, and matched at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022
Note: UFC fighters can’t earn both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards at the same event – it’s one or the other.
The other two UFC bonuses fighters can earn are:
- Fan Bonus of the Night
- Discretionary bonus (locker room).
The Fan of the Night bonus sees $60,000 worth of Bitcoin split between the three fighters who receive the most fan votes.
Each fan gets three votes, with $30,000 going to the winner, $20,000 to the runner-up, and $10,000 to third place.
This bonus is limited to PPV events and is the result of the UFC’s sponsorship with Crypto.com, which started in July 2021.
Discretionary bonuses are extra payments of between $4,000 to $25,000, with the average being $5,000 in 2020.
They’re paid to fighters who just missed out on the Performance of the Night bonuses, but who would’ve won it another night.
Did you know: A UFC fighter can earn a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus if their opponent misses weight – as they take their $50,000 share.
Does the UFC Pay Bonuses for Knockouts and Submissions of the Night?
The UFC doesn’t pay bonuses for Knockouts and Submissions of the Night.
Initially, the UFC paid Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night starting at Ultimate Fight Night 3 on January 16, 2006.
However, they stopped paying these bonuses on Tuesday 11, 2014, and introduced the current system for the first time on UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi on Saturday 15, 2014.
This switch meant the UFC kept the Fight of the Night bonuses but replaced the Knockout and Submission of the Night bonuses with Performance of the Night bonuses.
Before the change, UFC bonuses were paid between $20,000 to $120,000 at Dana White’s discretion. After the change, all UFC bonuses were $50,000.
UFC Bonuses: FAQ
How Much Does the UFC Pay for Fight of the Night Bonus?
The UFC pays $50,000 for the Fight of the Night bonus.
How Much Does the UFC Pay for Performance of the Night Bonus?
The UFC pays $50,000 for the Fight of the Night bonus.
Do Both UFC Fighters Get Paid the Fight of the Night Bonus?
Yes, both UFC fighters in a Fight of the Night are paid $50,000.
To Conclude
So, ‘Who has the most UFC bonuses of all time?’
Charlies Oliveira has the most UFC bonuses of all time at 19.
He secured the most UFC bonuses because of his high-octane style of fighting and knockout power, but mostly because of his elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills which have landed him the most UFC submissions of all time at 16.
There are 4 types of UFC bonuses. The main two are Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night, and the other two are Fan of the Night and discretionary bonuses.
This has been the UFC’s bonus system since UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi on Saturday 15, 2014. Before this, the UFC bonuses were Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the Night.
