UFC 310: Three prelim winners, but birthday boy bonus blown off

matt erickson

Sun, 8 Dec 2024, 2:00 am·2-min read

Dec 7, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Michael Chiesa (red gloves) reacts after defeating Max Griffin (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 310: Three prelim winners, but birthday boy bonus blown off