A memorable first UFC pay-per-view event of 2021 is in the books, and with it comes four post-fight bonus winners.

Post-fight bonuses come either one of two ways: A “Fight of the Night” and two “Performance of the Night” awards, or four “Performance of the Night” honors.

Saturday was one of the latter nights, and four competitors will go home with an extra $50,000 in their pockets: the lightweight winners at the top of the card, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, and two more main carders in Makhmud Muradov and Marina Rodriguez.

UFC 257 took place Saturday at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Without further ado then, here is a look at all four bonus winners:

‘Performance of the Night’: Dustin Poirier

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: Dustin Poirier reacts after his knockout victory over Conor McGregor of Ireland in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The former UFC interim lightweight champion is still at the top of his game.

Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) became the first person to finish Conor McGregor with strikes, taking his time in the first round and then turning things on in the second to earn a TKO at the 2:32 mark of the frame in the evening’s main event.

That marked Poirier’s second straight win, and his 12th career post-fight bonus.

‘Performance of the Night’: Michael Chandler

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Dan Hooker of New Zealand punches Michael Chandler in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The UFC debut was worth the wait for Chandler (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

The man synonymous with Bellator and a three-time former champion in his previous organization acted like he was in a rush once he finally got into the UFC’s octagon. Chandler needed a mere 2:30 to finish Dan Hooker in the evening’s lightweight co-feature bout,

That’s the first UFC post-fight bonus for Chandler, and we bet it won’t be his last.

‘Performance of the Night”: Marina Rodriguez

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Marina Rodriguez of Brazil punches Amanda Ribas of Brazil in a strawweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The opening bout of the main card figured to be the christening of a new star in the strawweight division in the streaking Amanda Ribas.

Instead, the fight turned the spotlight on a super-tough competitor who has been on the cusp of big things for awhile, as Rodriguez had the biggest win of her career.

Rodriguez (13-1-2 MMA, 3-1-2 UFC) stopped Ribas in the opening minute of the second round. She’s only lost once in her six UFC bouts, and she earned her first post-fight bonus.

‘Performance of the Night’: Makhmud Muradov

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (R-L) Andrew Sanchez punches Makhmud Muradov of Uzbekistan in a middleweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The Floyd Mayweather Jr.-backed middleweight won for the 14th straight time Saturday night, and he’s finally starting to get recognition for more than just his connection to The Money Team.

Muradov used a flying knee followed with punches to earn a second-round finish of veteran Andrew Sanchez.

That’s two straight “POTN” awards for Muradov, and one middleweight division which has been put on notice.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-257-bonuses-michael-chandler-dustin-poirier-marina-rodriguez-fight-island

You knew this was coming.

In the lead up to UFC 257, YouTube star-turned-professional-boxer Jake Paul tried for weeks to grab the attention of Conor McGregor, taking personal shots at his fiancee, all in the hopes of securing a fight.

It didn’t work.

So on Saturday night, after McGregor lost by second-round TKO to Dustin Poirier in their rematch, Paul took to social media with a reaction that should come as no surprise (via Twitter).

Jake Paul’s reaction after watching Dustin Poririer knock out Conor McGregor #UFC257

pic.twitter.com/qlKv05uV7c

— New Culture 👑 (@NewCuIture) January 24, 2021

In his attempt to lure McGregor into a boxing match, Paul claimed his representatives had sent McGregor a $50 million offer to fight in the ring.

McGregor’s return at UFC 257 was his first fight in more than a year. Prior to losing to Poirier, McGregor stopped Donald Cerrone in a welterweight fight last January at UFC 246.

After Saturday night’s loss, McGregor chalked up the result to inactivity. He’s had just three MMA fights since late 2016, with a  2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather squeezed in.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/jake-paul-revels-in-conor-mcgregors-knockout-loss-to-dustin-poirier-at-ufc-257

There is no love lost between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. That’s been well documented.

Even after McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his professional MMA career to Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 main event, Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) seemingly took a shot at the Irishman on Twitter.

Nurmagomedov indicated McGregor, who wasn’t outright named in the tweet, didn’t stay true to himself or take things seriously enough to deserve a victory.

“This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners, who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality,” Nurmagomedov wrote.

Nurmagomedov’s tweet got a reaction from McGregor during the UFC 257 post-event news conference.

“My team has been the team since Day 1. I have not changed anything. It is what it is. Respect the athletes,” McGregor said. “That’s the character of the man, for sure, behind the mask. Whatever, what’s he want to do? Does he want to come back or no? … If he wants to have his disrespectful comments, come back and let’s go again, my man. I’m here for it. That’s fighting talk.”

McGregor, 32, was finished with punches by Poirier in Round 2. The loss was only his third inside the UFC cage. All of his previous career losses came by submission.

Nurmagomedov, 32, who remains the UFC lightweight champion, retired in the cage after a successful title defense last October at UFC 254. However, since that time, UFC president Dana White expressed his confidence Nurmagomedov would return for one more fight – to attempt accumulating a 30-0 record.

UFC 257 took place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The main card streamed on ESPN pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/conor-mcgregor-knockout-loss-khabib-rubs-it-in-ufc-257

UFC president Dana White announced the winners of the UFC 257 Performance of the Night bonuses at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.

Dustin Poirier, Makhmud Muradov, Marina Rodriguez and Michael Chandler all walked away with $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.

UFC 257 Performance of the Night: Dustin Poirier

Poirier turned the fight world upside down Saturday night, earning his post-fight bonus by decisively knocking out former two-division champion Conor McGregor in the high-paced, back and forth two round main event.

UFC 257 Performance of the Night: Michael Chandler

Not to be outdone by Poirier, Chandler took the UFC by storm in his promotional debut, putting the lightweight division on notice by brutally knocking out number six ranked lightweight Dan Hooker in the first round of the co-main event.

UFC 257 Performance of the Night: Makhmud Muradov

Muradov took home the reward for his third-round TKO of Andrew Sanchez in the middleweight matchup. Muradov stopped Sanchez with a barrage in the third round of the bout in a fight that was back and forth from start to finish.

TRENDING UFC 257 results: Dustin Poirier knocks out Conor McGregor; Michael Chandler stuns Dan Hooker

UFC 257 Performance of the Night: Marina Rodriguez

Rodriguez earned a Performance of the Night bonus for her stoppage of Brazilian upstart Amanda Ribas in their strawweight tilt. Rodriguez initially connected with a right cross to Ribas’ chin, initially thinking the fight was over before referee Herb Dean indicated the bout was ongoing. Rodriguez did a good job retaining momentum to ultimately finish Ribas in the second round.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-257-performance-bonus-dustin-poiriers-knockout-conor-mcgregor

UFC president Dana White has been saying for months that he believes lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would return to the Octagon. That is no longer what he’s saying after Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.

White spoke with Khabib earlier in the week, again telling the media that he believed his champion might fight again, depending upon the outcome of the UFC 257 main and co-main event bouts.

While Poirier knocked out McGregor in the headliner, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler announced his arrival in the Octagon by taking out Dan Hooker in two minutes and 30 seconds.

Neither appears to be a performance that will entice Khabib back into the Octagon to try and up his spotless record from 29-0 to 30-0.

“I did talk to Khabib (tonight),” White said at the UFC 257 Post-Fight Press Conference.

“He told me, ‘Dana, be honest with yourself. I’m so many levels above these guys. I beat these guys.’ I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound very positive. And what he said was, I won’t hold the division up.”

White also finally admitted publicly that his belief that Khabib would return to the Octagon again was his thinking, not Khabib’s.

“He already retired. He’s basically retired,” White said. “I’m the one that’s been trying to get him to do one more.”

Despite finally coming to the realization that Khabib probably won’t return to the Octagon, White said he’s not putting a timeline on a definitive decision from Khabib.

With Poirier and Chandler having just fought and won at UFC 257, White sees them fighting for the belt if Khabib doesn’t return, so he has a bit of time to let his champion put a stamp on his retirement.

TRENDING UFC 257 results: Dustin Poirier knocks out Conor McGregor; Michael Chandler stuns Dan Hooker

Dana White addresses Khabib, Conor McGregor, and future of the lightweight division following UFC 257

(Video courtesy of MMA Junkie)