UFC Rio Bonuses: The Lucky Four Fighters Who Pocketed $50K Extra

The UFC returned to Brazilian soil with absolute fireworks at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Only three of the 12 bouts ended with decisions, meaning fighters came to finish. When the dust settled, four warriors walked away with fat UFC Rio bonus checks. Let’s break down who got paid and why they earned every penny.

Charles Oliveira delivered vintage magic in front of his home crowd. The submission king strangled Gamrot unconscious in round two, extending his already absurd UFC record to 36-11. But he wasn’t alone in earning that extra bread. Three other fighters put on clinic performances that had Dana White reaching for his checkbook.

Charles Oliveira and Three Others Take Home $50K UFC Rio Bonuses 

Do Bronx, Bia Mesquita, Vitor Petrino, and Julia Polastri all earned $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. No fight was picked as the most exciting back-and-forth battle. Instead, most fighters won in a strong, clear fashion with knockouts or submissions. So, the UFC gave bonuses for those big finishes instead.

Oliveira’s rear-naked choke finish was pure BJJ poetry. The bonus extended his UFC record for most performance bonuses to 21. 

Charles Oliveira extends his record for most performance bonuses in UFC history with 21.

That’s over $1,000,000 in post-fight bonuses alone.#UFCRio pic.twitter.com/mAQFR1GZoY

— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) October 12, 2025

He has consistently been one of the UFC’s top earners in recent years. With bonuses, he took him over millions after most of his fights. Even when he lost to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, he still made $1.3 million.

At UFC Rio, the former champ pocketed an estimated base purse between $750,000 and $800,000 for the main event. With the extra UFC Rio paycheck, his total haul for the night should touch around $850K.

💰#UFCRio Bonuses💰

4 Performance Of The Night Bonuses Awarded ⬇️

🥋:Julia Polastri
🥋: Vitor Petrino
🥋: Bia Mesquita
🥋: Charles Oliveira pic.twitter.com/kIjY49Jsxc

— Kevin (@realkevink) October 12, 2025

Mesquita showed elite grappling in her UFC debut, submitting Irina Alekseeva with a textbook rear-naked choke in the second round. The 10-time IBJJF world champion’s move from jiu-jitsu to MMA looks seamless, and her $50K bonus paycheck was well earned.

Polastri picked up her bonus with a violent finish, while Petrino wrapped up the night’s awards by knocking out Thomas Petersen just 26 seconds into round three. A pair of uppercuts ended it fast, leaving Petersen face down on the canvas.

The Brazilian crowd went absolutely nuclear for these finishes. Home soil performances always hit different, and these four fighters gave the Rio faithful something to remember. Each bonus was well-deserved and the finishes spoke for themselves.

Max Holloway Answers Charles Oliveira’s BMF Callout

After choking out Gamrot, Oliveira didn’t waste time calling his shot.

“Hey [UFC executive] Hunter [Campbell], Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, BMF – let’s make that happen,” Oliveira declared.

“CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS MAX HOLLOWAY. BMF. LET’S MAKE THAT HAPPEN”@CharlesDoBronxs calls out Max and the BMF Belt! #UFCRio pic.twitter.com/6B9TGZBZ2q

— UFC (@ufc) October 12, 2025

The “Blessed” heard the challenge loud and clear. The former UFC featherweight champion went live on streaming platform Kick and accepted Oliveira’s offer.

“I’m interested,” Holloway said. “Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve been talking about this fight. Me and him have a history. He’s blaming it on some type of injury. I guess we get to figure it out now.”

Max Holloway went live right after Charles Oliveira called him out 👀

“Why wouldn’t I be interested? We have a history. He blamed it on some type of injury, I guess we get to figure it out now. We fight on my terms.” pic.twitter.com/A14aMadrhG

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) October 12, 2025

The history runs deep between these killers. For the unversed, they first met in August 2015 at a UFC Fight Night event, when both were rising featherweight contenders. Holloway won the bout in just 99 seconds via TKO after Oliveira suffered an esophagus injury.

Not to mention, both fighters have evolved into absolute savages since that bizarre first meeting. Holloway said Saturday night that he’s currently recovering from a hand injury and is still waiting to get medically cleared. A March 2026 comeback could be “very possible”, though the UFC’s White House event in June also remains on the table.