UFC 310: Three prelim winners, but birthday boy bonus blown off
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card – but longtime fighter Michael Chiesa didn’t get one on his 37th birthday despite his second straight finish. The welterweight hasn’t gotten a post-fight bonus in nearly nine years.
After UFC 310, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Kennedy Nzechukwu
Dec 7, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Kennedy Nzechukwu (red gloves) reacts to defeating Lukasz Brzeski (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Lukasz Brzeski via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:51
Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) opened the prelims with a blistering finish of Lukasz Brzeski (9-6-1 MMA, 1-5 UFC) to give him back-to-back first-round stoppages since he returned to heavyweight earlier this year.
Performance of the Night: Chase Hooper
Dec 7, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Chase Hooper (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Clay Guida (red gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Chase Hooper def. Clay Guida via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:41
Chase Hooper (15-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has been on fire since he moved back to lightweight, and he made Clay Guida (38-22 MMA, 18-19 UFC) his fourth straight victim. He appeared to injure Guida’s arm en route to an armbar tap – and his first bonus in 2.5 years.
Performance of the Night: Vicente Luque
Dec 7, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Vicente Luque (red gloves) celebrates defeating Themba Gorimbo (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo via technical submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 0:52
Vicente Luque (23-10-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) was a slight underdog against Themba Gorimbo (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), but picked up the second fastest D’Aarce choke finish in welterweight history – just 52 seconds – and got the ninth bonus of his UFC career. That puts him second all-time at welterweight behind Chris Lytle.
Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja
Dec 7, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) reacts after defeating Kai Asakura (blues gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Asakura via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:05
Alexandre Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) had no real trouble solving the problem Kai Asakura (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) presented in the main event. The Brazilian tapped the former Rizin champion with ease, then called out former longtime UFC champ Demetrious Johnson, who recently retired.