UFC 224 tied the modern era record for stoppages on a card with eleven. With no shortage of contenders for bonuses, Lyoto Machida, Kelvin Gastelum, 'Jacare' Souza, and Aleksei Oleinik should take extra pride in their $50,000 bonus money.
Machida and Oleinik received a Performance of the Night bonus for their respective victories. The former UFC light heavyweight champion flattened Vitor Belfort with a crane kick, sending Belfort into retirement. This marks the first time Machida has taken home a Performance of the Night bonus since his 2014 victory over C.B. Dollaway. It's his sixth Performance/Knockout of the Night bonus in his UFC career.
Meanwhile, Oleinik locked up his 12th Ezekiel choke for a first round stoppage over Junior Albini. It's his third Performance of the Night bonus and second via Ezekiel choke.
Gastelum and Souza received Fight of the Night honors for their middleweight clash. Gastelum managed to edge out Souza by split decision in a back-and-fourth affair. Souza won the first round with his control on the ground, but Gastelum mounted a comeback in the second round, knocking down the jiu-jitsu world champion. The third round was tightly contested with both fighters feeling they did enough to win. In the end, Gastelum's hand was raised in victory. This marks Souza's first Fight of the Night bonus and Gastelum's second. It's the second straight bonus for both men.
If you missed any of the action from UFC 224, check out Fightful's full coverage of the event.
