Walker, Smith, Petersen and Cortes-Acosta each pocket $100,000 in UFC Vegas 124 bonuses

Four fighters walked away with $100,000 bonuses after UFC Vegas 124, headlined by a Fight of the Night award shared between Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes-Acosta for their heavyweight main event.

Walker claimed the victory in the third round, surviving heavy punches from Cortes-Acosta — known as “Salsa Boy” — before finishing him with a head kick and a back fist. The Brazilian-born, Ireland-based heavyweight improved his record to 24-10 with one no-contest, while Cortes-Acosta dropped to the same mark on the other side of the ledger.

Bantamweight prospect Elijah Smith earned a Performance of the Night bonus after stopping Davey Grant in just one minute. The 24-year-old, nicknamed “Swift”, ended the fight with a brutal left hook and moves to 11-1 as a professional — a result that underlines his growing reputation as one of the division’s more dangerous up-and-comers.

The fourth bonus went to heavyweight Thomas Petersen, who produced a dramatic third-round comeback against Gabriel Lourenco. Petersen sealed the finish with ground-and-pound just 13 seconds before the final bell, improving his professional record to 12-5 and evening his UFC ledger at 4-4. The performance, nicknamed “The Train”, was arguably the most striking given how late the stoppage came.

The four bonuses represent the UFC’s standard post-event reward structure, with Fight of the Night recognising the most entertaining contest and Performance of the Night going to standout finishes across the card.