The Octagon returned to Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 96 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho.

The highly anticipated middleweight main event proved to be a coming out party for Caio Borralho. ‘The Natural’ was able to hurt Jared Cannonier on a number of occasions during their twenty-five-minute contest, even dropping ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ in the fifth and final round (see that here). Despite the late onslaught, Jared Cannonier showed his toughness and durability as he was able to survive to hear the final horn.

UFC Vegas 96 was co-headlined by a key women’s strawweight bout featuring Angela Hill taking on Tabitha Ricci. The contest resulted in a solid back and forth affair, with ‘Baby Shark’ ultimately emerging victorious over ‘Overkill’ by way of unanimous decision (29-28 x3).

Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.

Fight of the night: Middleweight fighters Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier each pocketed $50k for their thrilling war in tonight’s UFC Vegas 96 main event. ‘The Natural’ ultimately won the contest by unanimous decision.

Performance of the night: Gerald Meerschaert earned an extra $50k for his record-breaking submission victory over Edmen Shahbazyan (see that here).

Performance of the night: Michael Morales took home an extra $50k for his first-round TKO victory over Neil Magny (see that here). The Ecuadorian standout improved to 17-0 with tonight’s win.

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC Vegas 96 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!