Crypto.com declared Khamzat Chimaev, Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan as the winners of the fan bonus for UFC 273.
The UFC, in association with Crypto.com, has added another bonus which will be awarded to fighters, in addition to the already present 'Fight of the Night' and 'Performance of the Night' awards. Fans will vote for their favorite fighters at a particular event and the athletes with the most votes will win the bonus.
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The bonus amount is $60,000 in the form of bitcoin. This amount will be distributed among the top three athletes with the highest votes. The fighter with the most votes will get $30,000 in bitcoin, the second-placed fighter will get $20,000 in bitcoin and the fighter in the third position will receive $10,000 in bitcoin.
Commenting on the new bonus system, UFC president Dana White said:
"Crypto.com has been an official UFC partner for less than a year, and I’m telling you they are already one of the best partners we’ve ever had. They’re constantly coming up with new ideas about how we can work together to connect with the fans. This new 'Fan Bonus of the Night' is an awesome way to get fans more engaged in our events while rewarding the fighters for bad-ass performances."
Out of the three winners of the Crypto.com's fan bonus, only two won their respective fights at UFC 273
Khamzat Chimaev and Alexander Volkanovski emerged victorious, while Petr Yan lost his fight at UFC 273.
Chimaev and top-ranked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns engaged in a three-round war, delivering an instant classic for fans. 'Borz' won the highly thrilling fight via unanimous decision. The contest was also awarded the 'Fight of the Night' honor.
Volkanovski put on a masterclass performance at UFC 273 and comfortably finished Chan Sung Jung aka 'The Korean Zombie' via TKO in the fourth round.
This was the Australian champion's third title defense. He has already defended the featherweight strap against Max Holloway and Brian Ortega. 'The Great' is now riding an astonishing 21-fight win streak in his professional MMA career.
Petr Yan fought Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 273. The bout was highly competitive as both bantamweights brought their A-game on the night. The razor-close fight eventually ended in a split decision loss for 'No Mercy'. Despite that, Yan received the Crypto.com fan bonus.