Fans never stop complaining about UFC fighter pay. But this time, they’re furious because a fighter got an extra $100K—Zhang Mingyang. And they think he never earned it. Mingyang, who took on Alonzo Menifield in a light heavyweight fight in the co-main event of UFC Macau, found himself at the center of criticism after suffering an upset loss. 

Alonzo Menifield, a +196 underdog, never appeared to have stood a chance. His three losses in his last five fights made it even more impossible. But when the light turned on, he knocked out Mingyang, a -260 favorite, in the first round in front of Mingyang’s home crowd. The significance of the upset, however, was overshadowed by the Fight of the Night bonus. 

Both fighters received FOTN bonuses of $100,000 each. In UFC, both fighters from a particular bout are awarded the FOTN bonus, because it takes two fighters to make an outstanding bout. Besides them, the Performance of the Night bonus went to the man who saved the night for Chinese fans gathered at the venue. 

Song Yadong earned an extra $100,000 after submitting Deiveson Figueiredo in the second round. Former Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kai Asakura also pocketed a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus following his first-round knockout win over Cameron Smotherman.

Six other fighters, Sergei Pavlovich, Lupe Felipe Dias, Cody Haddon, Rei Tsuruya, Rodrigo Vera, and Jaqueline Amorim, received an additional $25K each as finish bonuses.

In any case, this was  Zhang Mingyang’s fourth bonus in the UFC in five fights. Meanwhile, it was just the third bonus for Menifield, who has fought in the promotion since 2019. 

While the bonus winners celebrated their extra paychecks, many fans were left frustrated by Zhang Mingyang’s payout, questioning how he still earned a $100K bonus despite his disappointing performance.

Fan demands change to the Fight of the Night bonus structure after UFC Macau

People were instantly furious. One user refused to believe Mingyang received the money. “No way Mingyang deserves 100K for that bs,” the user posted. The frustration largely stemmed from how quickly the fight ended, with Mingyang crumbling in the opening round almost immediately after getting caught.

Another fan wanted someone else to get the FOTN bonus. “So Zhang got $100,000 and not Sergei?????????” the fan asked. Sergei Pavlovich delivered a brutal first-round knockout over Tallison Teixeira. By the same logic, if Pavlovich had received a Fight of the Night bonus, his opponent would’ve been awarded the same amount too, likely sparking the exact same backlash from fans.

The next user took a more sarcastic approach. “This is gold,” the user wrote. And, to be fair, unless the UFC changes Fight of the Night bonuses into individual Performance of the Night awards only, undeserving opponents will likely keep cashing in alongside the actual standout performers. 

That’s why this fan appeared to urge the UFC to change the rules. “Cannot believe they gave Zhang Mingyang 100K for that effort. Give it to Menifield, then another performance bonus to someone else,” the user commented. However, whether the UFC ever makes the change is yet to be seen. 

A bad day at work appears to have muddied Zhang Mingyang’s reputation entirely. But do you think he was undeserving?