UFC replacing KO and Sub of the Night bonuses with $50K 'Performance' bonuses

Immediately following the conclusion of each UFC event, one of the first pieces of post-fight news is the announcement of the fight night bonuses. Traditionally, the UFC has awarded a $50K bonus for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the night.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced a change to the bonus protocol:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today a modification to its live event bonuses. Effective immediately, UFC will award "Fight of the Night Bonuses" to each of the fighters in the best fight of the night, as well as additional "Performance of the Night Bonuses" to the two best individual performances on the card. The bonus amounts will remain $50,000. The "Performance of Night" bonuses will reward the athletes who put on the best and most exciting individual performances.

This means if an event ends with only a single knockout or submission, that fighter is no longer guaranteed a bonus.

Although not stated explicitly, it looks like the new system will be first used this weekend at UFC Fight Night 36. That event will take place at the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil with middleweights Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi headlining the card.

More from Bloody Elbow

Follow @BloodyElbow Follow @SBNation

• UFC Taking Action Against Individuals Who Illegally Stream Events
• UFC: Shogun says it's for his team to decide if he pursues TRT
• Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 319: Tim Means, UFC Fight Night 36 Preview
• UFC signs heavyweight Jack May to debut against Derrick Lewis at UFC on Fox 11
• SB Nation MMA Rankings: Pound-for-pound