Should the UFC consider finish bonuses?

Last night at UFC Fight Night 36, 10 of the 12 bouts went to decision for the second event in a row. Two weeks ago, UFC 169 broke the record for most decisions on a card with ten. Both events saw each prelim bout go to decision, and two main card fights end in a finish. Overall, 20 of 24 bouts in the last two cards have been decisions, which is 83%.

Last week, the UFC changed their bonus structure by removing the KO and submission of the night bonuses. Instead, the UFC added two performance of the night bonuses along with the Fight of the Night bonus. The new bonus makes sure that all of the allotted money for bonuses is used for each event. Although there was no official word from the UFC as to why they switched the bonuses, the speculation is that it would incentivize fighters to put on better performances.

With that being said, should the UFC consider finish bonuses? While it would likely be too much for the UFC to give out a 50k bonus for a finish, they could likely swing an extra 10k for each fighter that produces a finish. A finish bonus is an explicit way to get fighters to fight for the finish to the final bell, no matter how far ahead he or she may be on the scorecards.

The UFC understands that it’s casual fan base hinges on the incredible finishes the fighters produce. Why not incentivize fighters even further in attempt to provide more finishes for the fans? Either way, the UFC can not continue with 10 decision cards and something must be done.

SEE ALSO: