It started a little over a week ago when Irene Aldana was forced to withdraw from her main event slot with Holly Holm. The promotion of Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan to the main event seemed to set off a flurry of opponent changes and cancellations that lasted into the event itself, when Trevin Giles fainted just before making his main card walk to face Kevin Holland. When it was all said and done, UFC Vegas 5 became the first event to feature only eight bouts since UFC 177 in 2014.
Even still, there was no shortage of highlights, and the bosses had their hands full when it came time to choose the performance bonuses.