UFC Vegas 123 Bonuses Go to Nolan, Erosa, Szabova and Kropschot

Four fighters took home Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 123, and no Fight of the Night award was given. Tom Nolan, who beat Renato Moicano in the main event, was among the four.

The four $100,000 checks

Each Performance of the Night bonus was worth $100,000. Lightweight Nolan got one, along with featherweight Julian Erosa, flyweight Lucia Szabova and middleweight Joseph Kropschot.

Erosa is retiring. He rallied from an early rocking to knock out Lee Jeong-yeong just over 90 seconds into round one.

Szabova, an Oktagon double champion, won her UFC debut. She stopped Tainara Lisboa with ground and pound in round three. Kropschot, also a newcomer, submitted Nick Klein.

Smaller payouts

Rodrigo Sezinando and Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani were the other two finishers on the card. They received $25,000 stoppage bonuses.

The standup that overshadowed the finish

Nolan's night was not clean. In round two, Moicano had the back and seemed in control. Referee Dan Miragliotta then brought the fight back to its feet, which surprised many watching.

Soon after, Nolan hurt Moicano with a knee. The momentum carried into round three, and a TKO followed shortly.

Fans talked more about the standup than the stoppage, because Moicano had a body lock. Nolan had been seen speaking to the referee. He explained that he was not asking for a standup. His complaint was about shots landing on the back of his head. The result stands.

Our view

The bonus choice rewards the finish over the dispute. Nolan's payout matches that of the retiring Erosa and the two debut winners. What remains unclear is whether the standup will lead to any review of the referee's call.

Source: Cageside Press