After a $7.7 billion broadcast deal, $100,000 Fight Night bonuses, and a new $25K finish bonus were Dana White‘s strategy to bring some exciting fights for the UFC fans. White’s idea to incentivize fighters to put on more exciting performances and finish their opponents with a new $100K plus $25K bonus system is off to a poor start, with finish rates going down to a new low in 2026.

Starting with UFC 324 in January, the new rule came into force. It stated that the fighters who win their bouts via finishes will be rewarded with a $25,000 bonus if not selected for the usual bonus awards. Speaking of bonuses, the Performance of the Night (POTN) and the Fight of the Night (FOTN) also received an upgrade.

Dana White & Co. announced that moving forward, the traditional POTN and FOTN bonuses have been permanently doubled from $50,000 to $100,000. This move came after years of public criticism from fighters and media personalities, who argued that UFC athletes receive a smaller percentage of the promotion’s revenue compared to athletes competing in other major sports.

Despite the pay bump, most of the fighters so far have barely shown urgency to reward themselves with the bonus.

“The amount of finishes with new UFC bonus system apparently did not increase,” wrote Home of Fight on X. “The first six events of 2026 have produced a historically low average finish rate (40.88%) (stat by Noch V Kletke)

Finish rates by event: 33.33% — UFC 326: Oliveira vs. Holloway, 46.15% — UFC Mexico: Moreno vs. Kavanagh, 35.71% — UFC Houston: Strickland vs. Hernandez, 30.77% — UFC Vegas: Bautista vs. Oliveira, 53.85% — UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2, 45.45% — UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett.”

According to the reported stats, UFC 325 is in the top position with the most finishes among the fight cards of 2026 so far. Headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, seven out of 13 fights on the night ended in knockout or submission. And the highlight on finish rate mainly came into focus after the UFC 326 fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

Headlining the event with the BMF title on the line, the bout was expected to be a firecracker. But contrary to the expectations, Oliveira, a submission specialist, took the fight on the ground for most of the match against Holloway. The strategy worked, even if it meant sacrificing a potential finish bonus, as it drained the Hawaiian’s energy, and while on the feet, ‘Blessed’ threw fewer strikes, anticipating a takedown from the Brazilian.

As Oliveira won the BMF title, the uproar was quite big about the fight being a letdown. But apart from that, only four fights on the entire UFC 326 card resulted in finishes. That said, what could be the reason behind such cautious fight performance despite having a bonus offer on the table? Surely, that could be a subjective opinion. But for a UFC heavyweight, he does not like the promotion’s idea of incentivizing fighters with extra money.

Valter Walker on Dana White’s new UFC bonus system

In order to secure a finish, fighters will probably have to put themselves in a zone where they could also get countered. As such, it creates a dangerous incentive for fighters that could jeopardize their bout.

Consider the fight between Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway as an example. Why would Oliveira risk his winning chances by keeping the fight on the feet when he is far superior on the ground? The Brazilian was hunting for finishes on the ground every chance he got, but Holloway was tough enough and skilled enough to keep ‘Do Bronxs’ at bay. Max received his black belt after the losing performance, in case you did not know.

To that end, if the fighters chase knockouts without any strategy, it could put them in a vulnerable position. As such, it will be something that their opponents will look to strike with full force, raising concerns on fighter’s safety. And that’s what UFC heavyweight Valter Walker thinks after the introduction of new bonus systems.

“We are paid for that, bro,” he told Jake Noecker of Home of Fight. “I think the UFC give you extra money because they wanna see somebody die. They don’t wanna see somebody boring fights to the points, to the decision. They wanna somebody kill or somebody die, bro.”

So, considering fighters’ safety, they are probably taking a more cautious approach instead of chasing finishes just to secure the additional $25,000 or $100,000 bonus reward.

It will be interesting to see whether the finish rate will improve in the coming UFC events. On that note, as UFC Vegas 114 will go down this coming weekend, do give your predictions on the number of finishes on the card in the comments below!