It seemed almost inevitable that Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev would once again be in line for a bonus after their fight.
In an unusual turn, these popular lightweights have been awarded Fight of the Night for the second time following their rematch at UFC 313, which took place on Saturday in Las Vegas. They previously received the same honor for their initial bout at UFC 286 in March 2023. On both occasions, Gaethje emerged victorious by decision.
Their second encounter was as fiercely contested as their first. However, the more seasoned Gaethje ultimately increased his intensity, proving too much for Fiziev. Gaethje secured the win with unanimous scores of 29-28 from all judges. Fiziev can take consolation in another $50,000 bonus, having stepped in on short notice to replace the injured Dan Hooker.
Both Gaethje and Fiziev have impressive UFC bonus records. Gaethje has now earned 14 bonuses in his 14 UFC fights, while Fiziev boasts seven bonuses in just 10 appearances.
Consecutive Fight of the Night awards for the same pairing are rare, but there are precedents in the UFC. Notable examples include Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz, Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo, Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz, Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz, and Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher.
Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded to lightweights Mauricio Ruffy and Ignacio Bahamondes from the main card. Ruffy delivered a spectacular knockout against King Green with a spinning wheel kick, considered by many to be the best knockout of 2025. Bahamondes quickly secured a triangle choke submission victory over Jalin Turner in under a round.
