How Dricus Du Plessis Made More Money Than Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 Despite Losing
South African MMA star Dricus du Plessis failed to retain the UFC middleweight championship title after losing to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
The 31-year-old was the defending champion ahead of the fight, and it's the second time he's defending the title this year after defeating Sean Strickland in February to retain the title.
Despite losing the bout, the Pretoria-born fighter reportedly earned more money compared to the Russian-born MMA star.
How Du Plessis made more money than Chimaev
To the general public and fans of the combat sport, Chimaev is expected to earn more money than Du Plessis from the bout, considering he emerged as the winner of the tie and he's now the new title holder in their division.
Despite the general thinking, the reverse is the case in this bout as DDP is said to be the highest earner between the two fighters.
According to different reports, DDP was expected to earn and estimated amount of $3 million for UFC 319, which includes a guaranteed $1 million in base pay and an extra $1 to $1.5 million from pay-per-view revenue and promotional bonuses.
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He could've earned more if he had won the bout, as he was reportedly guaranteed a $500,000 win bonus, but he lost the fight and won't be collecting that amount.
During his fight with Strickland at UFC 312, Stillknocks received an estimated amount of $3.34 million, which made him a top earner in UFC.
Chimaev, on the other hand, was expected to earn between $1.55 million and $2.3 million as the challenger in the bout, and it includes a $750,000 base salary, while also taking home the win bonus of $500,000.
The 31-year-old will reportedly earn between $750,000 and $1 million from pay-per-view revenue and promotional bonuses and could push over $1.8 million for winning the fight in Chicago.
Du Plessis earned more than the Emirati fighter due to his star power in their division and previous achievements in the UFC, but both fighters are expected to make more than seven figures in total earnings from the bout.
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Source: Briefly News
