Kris Moutinho expresses gratitude at the prospect of bringing the 75k bonus to his family

Kris Moutinho rose to mainstream MMA discourse on the back of his most recent performance against rising bantamweight Sean O'Malley at UFC 264. What's more, the 28-year-old did it on the grandest stage of them all - a Conor McGregor fight card.

The fighters did more than impress; they went on to win the 'Fight of the Night' bonus for the PPV. However, what was special this time around was that the UFC went one step farther and raised the stakes for the bonuses. Instead of the wonted $50,000 checks, the UFC offered fighters bonuses worth $75,000.

"Most savage son of a b---- I've ever met, man."DC speaking for all of us by praising @MoutinhoKris after his fight against Sean O'Malley at #UFC264 (via @dc_mma) pic.twitter.com/hXdixth6GC

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 12, 2021

And having won the FOTN bonus, Kris Moutinho was seemingly over the moon. He expressed the same sentiment in a recent interview with TMZ Sports.

"I'm extremely happy, man. It's another step to taking care of my family. Putting money into the right avenues to be able to take care of my family and never have to work another job and just do this again; do this thing I love for the rest of my life. Because I love fighting, man. Fighting is what I love to do, training is what I love to do," admitted Moutinho.

Kris Moutinho is far from done

There are many reasons to mark the Regiment Training Center product's outing at UFC 264 as more than successful. Considering that Kris Moutinho stepped in to fight Sean O'Malley on short notice, he put forth a stellar performance, one that will be talked about for a long time.

The relatively unknown Kris Moutinho earned the FOTN bonus right in his debut in the world's premier MMA promotion. If that doesn't do wonders for his stock, even though he suffered a hard-fought loss, we don't know what will.

Moutinho exhibited an unprecedented capacity to absorb blows and an indomitable chin against Sean O'Malley. What makes it even more impressive is that O'Malley set the record for significant strikes landed in a bantamweight bout (230).

In the interview, Kris Moutinho declared that this was not the last time that he would be taking the $75K bonus home to his family. Given his heart and sheer will, he's quite likely telling the truth.