UFC Denver fans were not disappointed when it came to the action across the board, and that was reflected in Saturday's bonus winners.
Four fighters will leave Ball Arena with an additional $50,000 prize for their accomplishments: Fight of the Night winners Jean Silva and Drew Dober, and Performance of the Night winners Charles Johnson and Montel Jackson.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who saw their bloody battle that was ended early in the third round when an elbow from Silva caused Dober to sustain a nasty cut above his eye, leaving the doctor unable to continue. Before the bout was stopped, the lightweights traded a number of dynamic strikes that would have ended anyone else's match on the spot.
This is Silva's first fight night bonus. He likely missed out on it two weeks ago when he faced Charles Jardine in the featherweight division. Silva beat Jardine with a spectacular knockout but missed out on the bonus because he was underweight. This time, he was rewarded for his quick reaction and impressive performance.
Dober is no stranger to bonus checks. He won his fourth Fight of the Night award and his eighth Fight Night award overall.
Johnson and Jackson both won Performance of the Night for very different reasons, Johnson with a late comeback win and Jackson with an early end to the bout.
Facing promising prospect Joshua Vann, Johnson was outstriking in the second round and needed a late finish, which he did in spades in the final round, taking down Vann with an uppercut just 20 seconds into the third round. Johnson also picked up a Fight of the Night bonus for beating previously unbeaten Azat Maxam in February of this year.
Jackson lived up to his nickname “Quick,” needing just 18 seconds to knock out Damon Blackshear with one punch. This is Jackson's second consecutive bonus win, having previously earned the bonus by knocking out Rani Yahya in the first round in April 2023.
