Holloway, Aldo, Gadelha, Kelleher earn UFC 212 performance bonuses

Three of the UFC's top contenders were joined by an Octagon newcomer on the UFC 212 performance bonus list.

Main event stars Max Holloway and Jose Aldo were rewarded with $50,000 bonus checks for their thrilling featherweight title unification bout in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, while strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha and UFC first-timer Brian Kelleher also cashed in.

The UFC announced the bonuses shortly after the show.

Holloway defeated Aldo to become the undisputed UFC champion in a fight that gradually rose in intensity. After two fairly even rounds, Holloway pulled away in Round 3 to pick up a violent TKO win.

Watch: Holloway pounds out Aldo in 3rd, unifies featherweight title to cap UFC 212

In the co-main event, Gadelha recorded her first finish in four years by submitting Karolina Kowalkiewicz inside of a round.

Watch: Gadelha submits Kowalkiewicz in 1st round with rear-naked choke

Kelleher stepped in on 22 days' notice for an injured Felipe Arantes to take on bantamweight veteran Iuri Alcantara. He wasn't satisfied with just adding a UFC appearance to his resume, stunning Alcantara with a guillotine choke submission in under two minutes.