Quick Definition
Submission of the Night was a UFC post-fight bonus paid to the fighter who pulled off the most impressive submission on a given card. It ran from 2006 until the UFC retired it in February 2014, when Performance of the Night took its place.
What is the Submission of the Night bonus?
The UFC has always paid fighters extra for doing something special inside the Octagon. One of those rewards, for years, went to whoever pulled off the best tap-out finish on the card. That award was Submission of the Night. Usually only one fighter earned it per event.
It sat alongside two other awards for most of its run. Knockout of the Night went to the best stoppage by strikes, while Fight of the Night was split between both competitors in the evening’s most entertaining bout. A single fighter could stack more than one bonus in a night.
The payout moved around over the years. Early bonuses ran anywhere from around $25,000 to $75,000 depending on the event, before the UFC settled on a flat $50,000 in 2013, according to Sherdog. Nothing about the award was automatic. UFC brass, led by Dana White, chose the winner after the event based on how clean or dramatic the finish looked.
How the bonus was decided
There was no scorecard for it. Once the fights were over, UFC decision-makers handed out Submission of the Night at their own discretion, weighing how difficult the finish was against how much it electrified the arena. A slick flying triangle counted for far more than a routine tap in a lopsided fight.
Because the award depended on a submission actually happening, some cards created an odd situation. If only one fighter won by submission all night, that fighter took the bonus almost by default, even when the finish was ordinary. Fox Sports pointed to that quirk when the award was scrapped, noting that plenty of events had a single submission which locked up the money no matter how routine the finish looked.
Why the UFC replaced it with Performance of the Night
By early 2014, the UFC wanted a bonus system that did not hinge on a submission actually happening. On February 11 that year, the promotion announced that Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night were both going away, effective at UFC Fight Night 36. In their place came two Performance of the Night awards, handed to the two best individual showings on the card, whatever the method.
The reasoning was straightforward. Some cards produced no submissions, others produced only one, so the old system either skipped the award or gave it to a forgettable finish. Performance of the Night let the UFC reward the two displays that genuinely deserved it. The Fight of the Night award stayed in place, and the standard $50,000 payout carried straight over, as Sherdog reported at the time.
The two awards still get mixed up, so the distinction is worth spelling out.
| Detail | Submission of the Night | Performance of the Night |
|---|---|---|
| Years active | 2006 to 2014 | 2014 to present |
| What it rewards | Best submission finish on the card | Best individual performance, any method |
| Winners per event | Usually one | Usually two |
| Method allowed | Submissions only | Knockout, submission or dominant win |
| Standard payout | $50,000 (from 2013) | $100,000 (from January 2026) |
Who won the most Submission of the Night bonuses?
For a bonus that lasted only eight years, Submission of the Night produced a clear king. Joe Lauzon collected it six times, more than anyone else, on the back of a grappling game that turned opponents’ arms and necks into liabilities. Fox Sports noted that his total stood alone once the award was retired.
Nate Diaz sat just behind him on five, including the flying triangle on Kurt Pellegrino that he punctuated by flipping off the crowd. The first Submission of the Night ever handed out went to Dan Christison, who caught Brad Imes in a third-round armbar at Ultimate Fight Night 4 back in 2006.
Here is how the top of the list shook out, based on Fight Matrix and sqaf.club records.
| Fighter | Submission of the Night bonuses |
|---|---|
| Joe Lauzon | 6 |
| Nate Diaz | 5 |
| Charles Oliveira | 3 |
| Chris Lytle | 3 |
| Jim Miller | 3 |
Is the Submission of the Night bonus coming back?
Not by name, but something close arrived in 2026. At UFC 324 on January 24, the promotion rolled out a new bonus structure to mark its move to Paramount+. The two Performance of the Night awards and the two Fight of the Night awards doubled to $100,000 each, as CBS Sports reported.
The bigger news for grappling fans was a separate addition. Any fighter who wins by knockout or submission, yet does not land one of those four headline checks, now takes home an extra $25,000. ESPN described it as a bonus for every finish inside the Octagon.
That is not a straight revival of Submission of the Night as a titled award. The UFC still picks its top performers internally and does not crown a single best submission. What changed is that a clean tap-out is once again guaranteed to pay extra, which is the closest the promotion has come to a submission-specific reward since 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much was the Submission of the Night bonus?
It varied in the early years, roughly $25,000 to $75,000 depending on the event, before the UFC standardized it at $50,000 in 2013. That figure held until the award was retired in 2014.
Is Submission of the Night still awarded?
No. The UFC discontinued it in February 2014 and folded it into Performance of the Night. Since January 2026, any submission win that misses the main bonuses earns an automatic $25,000.
Who won the first Submission of the Night?
Dan Christison, for a third-round armbar over Brad Imes at Ultimate Fight Night 4 in 2006.
Why did the UFC get rid of it?
Not every card produced a submission worth rewarding, and single-submission nights could hand the bonus to a forgettable finish. Performance of the Night gave the UFC freedom to reward the best two showings by any method.
What is the difference between Submission of the Night and Performance of the Night?
Submission of the Night went only to a submission finish. Performance of the Night can reward any standout showing, whether that is a knockout, a submission, or a one-sided win.
Sources
- Wikipedia. “List of UFC bonus award recipients.” Accessed August 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UFC_bonus_award_recipients - UFC.com. “UFC Statement on Fight Night Bonuses.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-statement-fight-night-bonuses - Sherdog. “UFC Institutes Performance of the Night to Replace Knockout, Submission Bonuses.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Institutes-Performance-of-the-Night-to-Replace-Knockout-Submission-Bonuses-63577 - Fox Sports. “Anderson Silva and Joe Lauzon all time KO and Submission of the Night winners.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/anderson-silva-and-joe-lauzon-all-time-ko-and-submission-of-the-night-winners - Fight Matrix. “Submissions of the Night.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.fightmatrix.com/ufc-records/submissions-of-the-night/ - CBS Sports. “Dana White raising UFC performance bonuses to $100,000, adding finish bonus.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/news/dana-white-ufc-performance-bonuses-payouts-ufc-324/ - ESPN. “UFC doubles fight night bonuses, adds incentive for every finish.” Accessed August 2026.
https://africa.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/47714388/ufc-doubles-fight-night-bonuses-adds-incentive-every-finish - Yahoo Sports. “Bonuses double to $100K, each finish gets $25K starting with UFC 324.” Accessed August 2026.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bonuses-double-100k-finish-gets-160234554.html
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