In his UFC debut, Vinicius Oliveira scored a knockout against Bernardo Sopai and received bonuses for Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night, earning him an extra $100,000.
Oh boy, did Vinicius Oliveira make a splash in his UFC debut. It’s safe to say it was one of the most profitable first appearances in recent times.
He didn’t just make a mark, he etched it in stone. Oliveira landed an early contender for Knockout of the Year with a flying knee that sent Bernardo Sopai crashing.
But that’s not all. He also bagged a couple of bonuses. One for the Performance of the Night and another for the Fight of the Night.
Do the math, and you’ll find the Brazilian newbie walked away from Saturday’s UFC Vegas 87 with an extra $100,000. Not too shabby, huh?
Sopai, on the other hand, was also making his UFC debut. He stepped in on just four days’ notice, replacing Yanis Ghemmouri. Despite being a newcomer, he managed to earn a $50,000 bonus for his part in the preliminary lightweight bout.
The Sweden-based fighter gave Oliveira a run for his money early on. But, alas, he fell victim to a savage knee to the jaw in the third round’s dying moments.
And the other $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus? That went to flyweight Steve Erceg.
“Astroboy,” as he’s known, floored veteran Matt Schnell with a textbook left hook. The knockout marked his first UFC finish and extended his winning streak to an impressive 11 straight fights.