UFC 273 certainly lived up to the billing. We have seen most of the fights go the distance in the octagon tonight, so there those who bought the PPV have certainly gotten their fill. The card was capped off with two title fights. Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan fought for the Bantamweight Title, then Alexander Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie fought for the Featherweight Title. But before that, Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev faced off. After winning by unanimous decision, many have been asking how much did Khamzat Chimaev make? Let’s take a look at the UFC payouts from Saturday’s UFC 273 card.
UFC 273 Payouts, Salaries and Win Bonuses
Unfortunately, the official UFC 273 payouts are a bit unclear, except for the title fights. While Florida used to disclose UFC fighter salaries, last year they determined the purse was a “trade secret” and therefore exempt from public record. So, we can only estimate based on past pay that has been publicized.
| FIGHTER | GUARANTEED | WIN BONUS |
| The Korean Zombie | $532,000 | |
| Alexander Volkanovski | $442,000 | |
| Aljamain Sterling | $392,000 | |
| Petr Yan | $182,000 | |
| Gilbert Burns | $110,000 | |
| Mickey Gall | $90,000 | |
| Khamzat Chimaev | $80,000 | X |
| Alexey Oleynik | $80,000 | X |
| Raquel Pennington | $70,000 | X |
| Julio Arce | $70,000 | X |
| Mackenzie Dern | $65,000 | X |
| Tecia Torres | $58,000 | |
| Aspen Ladd | $45,000 | |
| Vinc Pichel | $40,000 | |
| Kay Hansen | $29,000 | |
| Mark Madsen | $19,000 | X |
| Jared Vanderaa | $18,000 | |
| Anthony Hernandez | $18,000 | X |
| Ian Garry | $16,000 | X |
| Darian Weeks | $16,000 | |
| Josh Fremd | $16,000 | |
| Mike Malott | $16,000 | X |
| Daniel Santos | $16,000 | |
| Piera Rodriguez | $16,000 | X |
UFC 273 Bonuses
Much like other events, UFC bonuses of $50,000 are given out. Both fighters in the Fight of the Night get a greater UFC payout, as do two fighters that get a Performance of the Night bonus. Also, beginning with UFC 273, we have a new fighter bonus called “Fan Bonus of the Night,” which I will explain below.
Fight of the Night: Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev
If you watched UFC 273, you know Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev was the Fight of the Night. All week long, the buzz for this PPV was surrounding this fight. Not only did it meet expectations, it exceeded every expectation by all accounts.
Chimaev had barely been touched in the octagon. This fight proved he is human. Both fighters had momentum at different times in this fight and there were moments when each man looked like they were about to end the fight. Against all odds, the fight went the distance, Chimaev proved he can overcome adversity and Burns proved he is one of the best fighters in the UFC. All of this culminated into a Fight of the Year candidate.
Performance Bonuses: Alexander Volkanovski and Aleksei Oleinik
Alexander Volkanovski ended the evening defending his title against The Korean Zombie. In all honesty, this fight looked like a mismatch from the start. Volkanovski has done some amazing things in the UFC. But his 21st straight win looked to be his most impressive performance to date.
On a night where there weren’t many finishes, Aleksei Oleinik got an impressive first-round win by submission against Jared Vanderaa. The 44-year-old heavyweight lived up to his nickname of “The Boa Constrictor,” locking in a neck crank and finishing the fight early.
Fan Bonus of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev, Alexander Volkanovski, Petr Yan
As part of their partnership with Crypto.com, UFC PPVs will now be having an additional $60,000 in bonuses that are payable in Bitcoin. Fans vote on who they believe deserves the bonuses, which are split up between first ($30,000), second ($20,000) and third ($10,000) in the voting.
It’s unfortunate neither woman from the Mackenzie Dern vs Tecia Torres fight got one of these bonuses, but we knew these three fighters were the obvious fan favorites from UFC 273. All eyes were on Chimaev entering the night. Volkanovski put together the most dominating performance of the night, and Petr Yan lost to Aljamain Sterling, but many thought he deserved to win the fight by decision.
How Much Did Khamzat Chimaev Make? | Salary From UFC 273
In the third match of the main card, Khamzat Chimaev took on Gilbert Burns in a fight to presumably face Colby Covington next, per Dana White. The fact that this was only Match 3 shows just how stacked this UFC 273 card was.
Coming into this fight with more wins than strikes absorbed, all eyes were on Chimaev against a worthy opponent like Burns.
Well, he certainly has been hit now. In a Fight of the Year candidate, Chimaev simply outlasted Burns, who was throwing heat all three rounds. Both fighters had their moments of momentum, and all three rounds had moments where the fight was close to being called. However, both men continued to fight. In the end, it seemed like Chimaev had a little bit more gas in the tank.
With a statement win like that, it makes sense why people are asking how much did Khamzat Chimaev make from his UFC payouts on Saturday.
The official answer is unclear. Again, this is because Florida has determined fighter pay is a “trade secret.”
With this in mind, we can estimate Khamzat Chimaev made around $80,000 in guaranteed salary plus fight week incentives before stepping in the octagon. Because he won, his UFC payouts nearly doubled by doubling his guaranteed money as a win bonus. So, he certainly made six figures on Saturday.
Again, as always, the official numbers will not be officially known, but these UFC payouts from UFC 273 on Saturday are a strong estimation.
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