UFC 333 bonuses: Thrilling title fights earn awards

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Abu Dhabi, which had seven total stoppages.

After UFC 333, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at Etihad Arena. Additionally, five fighters got extra $ 25,000 checks for finishes that weren’t bonus winners.

Check out the list of winners below. 

Fight of the Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili ($100,000)

The trilogy bout between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili lived up to expectations. After splitting the first two bouts with each winning in dominant fashion, the third meeting was truly split down the middle, coming down to the final round. Dvalishvili overwhelmed Yan with an insane pace of relentless takedown attempts and nonstop movement throughout Rounds 1 and 2. However, the tide started turning in Round 3 as Yan picked up his pace, and began landing damaging combinations. Yan continued to build momentum in Round 4, taking advantage of a slowing Dvalishvili. With the fight tied going into the final round, Yan capped off a true championship performance by excelling when it mattered most to win the final round and keep his bantamweight title.

Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski ($100,000)

The main event of UFC 333 saw Alexander Volkanovski put his featherweight title on the line against undefeated Movsar Evloev. After a competitive opening round, Volkanovski quickly pulled away in Round 2, as he reversed a takedown attempt and put together damaging combinations. Late in Round 2, Volkanovski cracked Evloev with clean shots and followed up with ground-and-pound to score the TKO stoppage in the closing seconds. It was Volkanovski's first finish in three years, and the second title defense of his second featherweight title reign.

Performance of the Night: Lone'er Kavanagh ($100,000)

Lone'er Kavanagh stepped into the octagon to take on Ramazan Temirov, in a matchup that oddsmakers saw as an even fight. However, Kavanagh proved that he was the one who should have been favored, as he immediately went to work with damaging strikes. Temirov provided some effective offense early, but was soon overwhelmed. Kavanagh's combinations were too fast and too accurate for Temirov to handle, eventually leading to a barrage of strikes late in the opening round.

Finish bonus: Aaron Pico ($25,000)

Aaron Pico was all business at UFC 333. Standing in his way was Losene Keita, but he didn't stay upright for long. Pico landed a big shot early in the fight, causing Keita to stumble to the canvas. Pico quickly pounced for follow-up shots and scored the TKO stoppage moments later. Pico notched his first UFC finish after he picked up his first UFC win earlier this year.

Finish bonus: Dominick Reyes ($25,000)

Dominick Reyes came through as an underdog against a very tough Azamat Murzakanov. Reyes was on point early, and countered the forward-marching Murzakanov beautifully. Then a head kick connected, putting Murzakanov on wobbly legs, and Reyes sent a laser left hand down the pipe to send him to the ground. Reyes makes it back-to-back wins with a spectacular finish.

Finish bonus: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev ($25,000)

Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev took one good punch from Nikita Krylov and decided that was enough. Krylov tried to slow things down against the fence, but Yakhyaev took control in the clinch and nearly finished the fight by submission. He decided to let that go and unload heavy strikes to finish Krylov midway through the opening round. Yakhyaev has now finished seven consecutive fights in Round 1.

Finish bonus: Abus Magomedov ($25,000)

Abus Magomedov served as a stiff test for the up-and-coming Cam Rowston, and it was one that the Aussie did not pass. Magomedov appeared a level above in this one, as his striking and timing were sharper, leading to early damage, and allowing for an opening to finish the fight with a guillotine choke in Round 1.

Finish bonus: Kody Steele ($25,000)

Kody Steele notched the first finish of the night in the opening round against Noah Gugnon. It was a quick and powerful combination of punches, punctuated by a right hand that floored Gugnon. Steele wanted to land more on the ground, as the referee nearly had to choke Steele to pull him off for the stoppage.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 333 bonuses: Thrilling title fights earn awards