The finish of the Khamzat Chimaev vs Robert Whittaker fight at UFC 308 was jaw-dropping. Well, quite literally almost. What many expected to be a competitive encounter between two heavy hitters, turned out to be a one-sided affair with Chimaev submitting the former champion in the first round. The win which came with a neck crank was brutal that it left Whittaker with a dislocated jaw.

The outcome of the highly anticipated bout in Abu Dhabi meant Chimaev had his sixth UFC finish out of eight wins. It puts him in line for a title shot and the night got even better for Chimaev as he earned a fifth Performance Bonus. And while he made about twice the money Whittaker did in base salary ( $750,000 compared to $300,000) for their clash, there was one department where ‘The Reaper’ outdid Chimaev.

For Whittaker, the defeat to Chimaev means he is now 3-3 in his last three fights and takes a step back in the division. He is now ranked fourth, the lowest he has been in years. But there is some consolation for him, thanks to UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance.

Fighters on the 308 card earned $252,000 in Compliance Pay, with Whittaker raking in three times more than what his opponent got. Whittaker made $21,000 in Compliance Pay, while Chimaev took home $6000 despite his impressive win. For the unversed, Compliance Pay is paid out by Venum, the UFC’s official outfitting partner, based mainly upon the number of fights a fighter has had in the UFC.

Whittaker, of course, made his 23rd appearance in the octagon, while Chimaev has fought only eight times in the UFC, hence the disparity in their Compliance Pay. In addition, a reigning champion receives $42,000 in Compliance Pay, while their challenger receives $32,000, regardless of how many appearances they have made in the UFC octagon.

Hence, Ilia Topuria made $42,000 in Compliance Pay while his opponent Max Holloway earned $32,000. Meanwhile, Chimaev’s Compliance Pay earnings were also lower than Magomed Ankalaev, who earned $11,000 after his win over  #5 ranked Aleksandar Rakic. Dan Ige and Rafael dos Anjos also received $11,000 and $21,000 respectively despite suffering defeats on the night.

However, with his UFC 308 victory, the UAE-based fighter has virtually regained his official #1 title contender status. ‘Borz’ had earned this status after last year’s Abu Dhabi PPV card, only to lose it by turning down a title clash this January due to a broken hand. But who he will ultimately face for the 185-pound gold remains to be seen.

Khamzat Chimaev one step from middleweight gold after whooping Robert Whittaker at UFC 308

Khamzat Chimaev called for a clash with reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis next. But with Dana White having already confirmed that ‘DDP’ will rematch former champion Sean Strickland next, ‘Borz’ will have to wait and see who the winner of that fight is.

Unless, of course, Dana White goes back on his word and decides Strickland would be the one who has to wait and have Chimaev scrap it out against the South African. This is not out of the realm of possibility given how ‘Borz’ annihilated the legendary ‘Bobby Knuckles’ at UFC 308. And even Du Plessis is seemingly salivating at the prospect of a Chimaev clash, having warned the Chechnya native in a tweet that he “can’t wait to take your [Chimaev’s] 0.” 

While Strickland and Du Plessis’ first encounter at UFC 297 this January was a technical striking masterclass and is expected to be more of the same in the rematch, fans are expecting Du Plessis-Chimaev to be much more action-filled. This could push Dana White, who may well decide that that is the fight fans need to see first.