UFC on ESPN 32 bonuses: Calvin Kattar, Giga Chikadze’s war predictably among winners

Check out who took home bonuses for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.

UFC on ESPN 32 marked the first event for the promotion in 2022 and delivered a few moments worthy of promotional bonuses.

In the main event, featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] and [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] traded strikes for 25 minutes in an incredible war. It was apparent mid-way through the contest they would be taking home a bonus for the best fight of the evening. Two other fighters secured bonuses for their performances as well, marking a total of four extra earners on Saturday evening.

Check out who took home a bonus for their performance on Saturday evening below.

UFC on ESPN 32 video: Viacheslav Borshchev folds Dakota Bush with nasty body shot

Viacheslav Borshchev earned the first UFC finish of the year when he halted Dakota Bush in vicious fashion.

After a string of decisions to open UFC on ESPN 32 on Saturday, [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] earned the first octagon finish of 2022 when he stopped [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag] in the opening round.

Borshchev (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) showed plenty of confidence in his UFC debut. He went toe-to-toe with Bush (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it didn’t take long to finish the job.

The Team Alpha Male product cornered Bush against the fence and unleashed a powerful combination that was highlighted by a nasty left hook to the body. Bush immediately folded from the shot, then Borshchev landed a few more hammerfists to get the stoppage at the 3:47 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay below (via Twitter):

THE FIRST FINISH OF 2022!!! 🔥

[ @ViacheslavBors1| #UFCVegas46 ] pic.twitter.com/5jQr1EjFz1

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022

Slava Claus got the MOVES 🕺 #UFCVegas46 pic.twitter.com/VRSrbPG8i0

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022

With the win, Borshchev has now earned all five of his career finishes by knockout. None was bigger, however, than his effort at UFC on ESPN 32.

“I believe in the liver shot,” Borshchev said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “It’s a good move. I got him there to the body.”

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UFC on ESPN 32 predictions: Who’s picking Calvin Kattar to upset Giga Chikadze?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 32 main card, featuring Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze.

	Kattar vs. Chikadze	Collier vs. Sherman	Bontorin vs. Royval	Chookagian vs. Maia	Borshchev vs. Bush	Algeo vs. Brito
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 209-121	Chikadze (68%)	Sherman (68%)	Royval (74%)	Chookagian (66%)	Borshchev (80%)	Brito (58%)
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohnA 2021: 212-118 2014 Champion	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Chookagian	Borshchev	Algeo
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 211-119	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Maia	Borshchev	Brito
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 205-125 2014 Champion	Chikadze	Sherman	Bontorin	Chookagian	Borshchev	Brito
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 202-128	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Chookagian	Borshchev	Brito
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 201-129	Kattar	Collier	Bontorin	Chookagian	Borshchev	Brito
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 130-84 (60.57)	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Maia	Bush	Brito
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 195-135 2018 Champion	Chikadze	Collier	Bontorin	Chookagian	Borshchev	Brito
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 194-136	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Chookagian	Borshchev	Brito
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 192-138	Kattar	Collier	Royval	Chookagian	Bush	Brito
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 191-139	Kattar	Sherman	Royval	Maia	Borshchev	Algeo
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 190-140 2017 Champion	Chikadze	Collier	Royval	Maia	Bush	Algeo
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 187-143	Chikadze	Sherman	Royval	Maia	Borshchev	Brito

The first UFC event of the year takes place Saturday in Las Vegas with featherweights at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 32 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will look to keep his perfect UFC record intact when he takes on [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at 145 pounds. Chikadze is a sizable -250 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Kattar is +190. Our 12 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are backing Chikadze at a 9-3 clip.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-7 UFC) at heavyweight. Collier is a slight favorite at -140 and has a big 9-3 lead from our pickers.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at flyweight. Royval is a -175 betting favorite and also has a 9-3 edge from our staff members in the picks.

Former women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) returns against [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Chookagian nearly is a 2-1 favorite at -190 at the betting window, but she has just a narrow 7-5 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the main card at -210 in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). He’s also got a big lead from our pickers at 9-3.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag] (12-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at featherweight. Brito is a slight favorite at -140 and has a 9-3 lead from our pickers.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Chikadze (68 percent), Sherman (68 percent), Royval (74 percent), Chookagian (66 percent), Borshchev (80 percent) and Brito (58 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Viacheslav Borshchev set for UFC debut against Dakota Bush on Jan. 15

Recent Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Viacheslav Borshchev now has a date for his UFC debut.

Recent Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] now has a date for his UFC debut.

Borshchev (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face fellow lightweight [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 15, MMA Junkie today learned from two people with knowledge of the booking who requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make a formal announcement.

Borshchev was awarded a UFC contract earlier this month after scoring a highlight-reel finish of Chris Duncan at Dana White’s Contender Series 43. It was the third straight win of 2021 for the Team Alpha Male fighter, who was an accomplished kickboxer before making the transition to MMA.

Meanwhile, “Hairy” Bush looks to rebound from an April decision loss to Austin Hubbard. A seven-time LFA veteran prior to his UFC run, Bush was scheduled to face Zhu Rong in September but tested positive for COVID-19 on the week of the fight and was forced out of the contest.

With the addition to the card, the Jan. 15 lineup now includes:

Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Court McGee
Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Brian Kelleher
Zarrukh Adashev vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
Rogerio Bontorin vs. Brandon Royval
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Ashley Yoder
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Joaquin Buckley
Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Dakota Bush

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DWCS 43 video: Viacheslav Borshchev flattens Chris Duncan with vicious left hook knockout

Team Alpha Male product Viacheslav Borshchev scored an incredible knockout victory on Tuesday evening at the UFC Apex.

[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] made quite the impression on Tuesday evening.

At Dana White’s Contender Series 43, Borshchev took on Chris Duncan for an opportunity to earn a contract as UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby looked on from cageside.

Borshchev (5-1), a Team Alpha Male product, landed a brutal left hook in the second round to flatten Duncan (7-1), creating an incredible knockout.

Watch video of the finish below (via @ufc on Twitter):

One and DONE!!! 🤯

🇷🇺 @ViacheslavBors1 came in with nothing but a point to prove tonight!

[ #DWCS is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/d26s2gwEKX

— UFC (@ufc) October 13, 2021

Borshchev handed Duncan his first professional loss in a devastating fashion. Referee Mark Smith spent a few seconds on the mat with Duncan who took a moment to realize the fight was over.

On a program that rewards spectacular performances, it’s very likely that Borshchev will walk away at the end of the evening with a new UFC contract. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he has a connection with UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

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