UFC Vegas 54: Michael Johnson blasts UFC for not awarding him the bonus

Benny A. King

Athlete pay is a huge topic when it comes to the UFC. The organization is doing everything in it’s power to obscure athlete pay and prevent the athletes from unionizing.

As is – UFC athletes are compensated with under 20% of what an event brings in. This means that often getting a bonus makes all the difference.

UFC veteran Michael Johnson was convinced he had done enough when he scored an impressive KO over Alan Patrick. Following the victory he talked a little bit about challenges he overcame in lead up to the fight:
“My performance speaks for itself,” Johnson said afterwards. “The journey was rough. I was in a dark, dark place. I saw the light and just got out of that dark hole.

“That still shows people I’m one of the best strikers in this division. I’ve got a lot to climb, I’m onto the next step.”

Prior to last night’s events Johnson hadn’t won a bout since 2018.

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Following the main event, the promotion announced Ryan Spann received a performance of the night bonus for his submission finish over Ion Cutelaba.

Fight of the night went to Manuel Torres for his impressive KO of Frank Camacho.
To make matters worse Fight of the night went to Chookagian’s decision victory over Amanda Ribas.

Johnson’s coach Henri Hooft was also salty about the bonus:

“Nope robbed on it once again. Hahha.”

While Johnson was once at the top of the division, he was relegated to the prelims on this UFC Vegas 54 card – that likely played a role in deciding who gets the bonus.