LAS VEGAS — UFC Vegas 122 may have lacked the mainstream star power of a blockbuster pay-per-view event, but the fight card more than made up for it with sheer action, unrelenting violence, and an astonishing volume of stoppage victories. Hosted at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, the event delivered a thrilling night of mixed martial arts that left fans on the edge of their seats from the early preliminary bouts all the way to the championship-rounds climax of the main event.
When the dust settled inside the intimate Nevada venue, the fight card boasted a remarkable nine finishes in total. Even more impressive was a blistering stretch of eight consecutive stoppages that bridged the gap from the second preliminary bout straight through to the second fight of the main card. With so many fighters finishing their opponents before the final judges’ scorecards could be collected, the promotion opted to bypass the traditional Fight of the Night bonus. Instead, the UFC heavily rewarded the most devastating and impactful finishes of the evening, distributing a series of lucrative $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses alongside a tier of $25,000 finishing bonuses for the rest of the stoppage victors.
In the main event of the evening, ranked middleweights Brendan Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan squared off in a high-stakes divisional clash. Allen, carrying significant momentum into the Octagon, found himself tested over the championship distance by the dynamic and unorthodox striking of Duncan. However, as the fight wore on into the crucial fifth and final round, Allen’s grappling pedigree and relentless pressure ultimately proved to be the deciding factors.
Known inside the cage by his moniker "All In," Allen successfully dragged a fatigued Duncan down to the canvas and immediately capitalized on the positional advantage. Working swiftly to secure Duncan’s back, Allen locked in his body hooks and slipped his arm underneath the chin of his opponent. While "CLD" showed immense toughness and initially refused to surrender to the squeeze, the submission pressure proved to be inescapable, forcing Duncan to tap out and handing Allen a definitive fifth-round submission victory.
The main event victory marked the fourth consecutive win for Brendan Allen, cementing his status as a legitimate elite contender in the UFC’s talent-rich middleweight division. Wasting no time in his post-fight interview, Allen set his sights firmly on the upper echelon of the weight class, using his microphone time to publicly call out former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis for his next assignment inside the Octagon.
While Allen’s main event submission closed the show in dominant fashion, the most electrifying highlights of the night belonged to a pair of stunning, fight-ending head kicks that electrified the Meta APEX during the opening bouts of the main card. In back-to-back performances that immediately set a high-water mark for the rest of the evening, veterans Andre Fili and Otari Tanzilovi both secured $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses after violently finishing their respective opponents with high-velocity kicks upstairs.
Tanzilovi struck first among the bonus-winning kickers, landing a thunderous blow that abruptly ended his matchup against Malcolm Wellmaker. Moments later, experienced featherweight standout Andre Fili replicated the feat with a picture-perfect head kick of his own against Kai Kamaka III. Both fighters demonstrated exceptional timing and precision, earning hefty six-figure checks that underscored the high-risk, high-reward nature of the card’s finishing rate.
The fourth and final $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus was awarded to Alice Pereira following a brutal and decisive showing against Darya Zheleznyakova. Pereira’s striking assault proved to be too much for Zheleznyakova to handle, culminating in a severe cut that left the latter fighter badly compromised. Following the conclusion of the opening round, the cage-side medical evaluation and the corner’s assessment resulted in Zheleznyakova declining to continue, officially awarding Pereira a TKO victory due to a doctor’s stoppage and cementing her share of the night’s top financial rewards.
Beyond the marquee $100,000 bonus winners, the card’s remaining stoppage victors were also recognized for their decisive work inside the cage. Five additional fighters who managed to finish their opponents before the final horn picked up $25,000 finishing bonuses for their efforts. That group of bonus recipients included Niko Price, Julius Walker, Francisco Prado, Brendson Ribeiro, and Allen Frye Jr., all of whom added to the historic tally of finishes that defined the event.
From the preliminary card through the main event headliner, UFC Vegas 122 proved that a lack of marquee star power on paper does not preclude a memorable night of fighting. With nine total finishes, a historic streak of eight consecutive stoppages, and massive performance bonuses distributed across the roster, the fighters at the Meta APEX delivered an unforgettable event for mixed martial arts fans worldwide.
