One of the most highly anticipated events of the year, UFC 308, is set to go down on October 26th when the UFC lands at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Marking the promotion’s 20th time hosting an event in Abu Dhabi, the card is headlined by a featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and the current ‘BMF’ Champ Max Holloway. But that’s not all! In true Dana White fashion, the UFC boss has a few more intriguing matchups lined up for the fandom.

In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev face-off after their previous meeting fell through due to ‘Borz’s health issues. There’s also a crucial light-heavyweight match-up between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic with a chance to take on Alex Pereira hanging in the balance. With all that being said, let’s take a look at what the projected payouts for UFC 308 fighters are going to be like!

How much will Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev get paid for UFC 308?

Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker are finally set to clash after their UFC on ABC 6 bout scheduled for June fell through. What happened? Due to Chimaev being “violently ill”, he was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov. Interestingly, Aliskerov had faced ‘Borz’ in Brave CF 23 in 2019 where he lost via knockout and now they’re both fighting in the UFC.

For Chimaev, this bout is going to be his first Octagon appearance this year as he’d last stepped into the cage against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. On the other side, ‘The Reaper’, who made short work of Aliskerov by finishing him in one round, is looking to continue his momentum to get back into the title picture at 185 lbs.

According to information provided by MMASalaries.com, Robert Whittaker earned a base salary of $300,000 for his UFC 290 appearance against Dricus Du Plessis. Including the $16,000 in sponsorship payouts, he walked away from the event with a total salary of $316,000. Since then, Whittaker has fought at the UFC 298 PPV against Paulo Costa as well. Although there isn’t any information about his payout for that fight, we can assume that for UFC 308, he’ll be getting the same base salary of $300,000 plus any bonuses that apply.

For Khamzat Chimaev, his UFC 294 bout against Kamaru Usman netted him a base salary of $750,000 and a win bonus of the same amount. He also secured an estimated PPV payout of $850,000 as well. Factoring in the sponsorship payment of $6,000 he walked away with a whopping $2,356,000 for that fight. Going by the previous figure, for UFC 308, ‘Borz’ may be getting the same base salary as well.

It’s important to note that all figures provided are estimations based on publicly available sources and not an accurate representation. But what about the other fighters who are set to light up the Octagon at UFC 308?

UFC 308 salaries for Sharaputdin Magomedov, Magomed Ankalaev, and others

‘Shara Bullet’ or Sharaputdin Magomedov is set to make his fourth UFC appearance when he takes on Armen Petrosyan at the Etihad Arena. The Dagestani striker has made waves since he arrived in the UFC and according to information available online, he secured a base salary of $80,000 for his bout against Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ABC 6 in June this year. So, it’s reasonable to assume he’d be getting the same amount for his UFC 308 outing as well, although with a slight bump since it’s a PPV.

Meanwhile Magomed Ankalaev, undefeated since 2018, is on the prowl for his 205 lbs. title shot as he goes up against Aleksandar Rakic. For his last PPV appearance at UFC 294 against Johnny Walker, Ankalaev secured a base salary of $100,000 and the same payout could be in store for him on October 26.  Rakic, the number 5 ranked light heavyweight, secured a base salary of $60,000 for his UFC 300 bout against Jiri Prochazka and is estimated to get the same amount this time around as well.

Another name on the card is Dan Ige. With his heroics in saving the UFC 303 card by taking on Diego Lopes on short notice, ‘50K’ cemented his name as a fighter who is willing to throw down anytime, anywhere. In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio, Ige revealed, “I got a new deal out of it. I got paid well. I probably got double or triple what I normally get, so it was, the number hit the bank account today, and it looks nice.”

So how much did he make? While there weren’t exact numbers provided, his last disclosed purse against Bryce Mitchell at UFC Vegas 79 was reported to be around $160,000 (base salary). And with his new deal, UFC 308 might see Ige walking away with a significantly higher amount this time around.

The salaries for fighters like Whittaker, Chimaev, and rising talents like Sharaputdin Magomedov and Magomed Ankalaev paint a picture of the stakes involved. While we may not have exact figures, one thing is certain—these fighters will leave it all in the Octagon, chasing glory and financial rewards alike!