Chimaev, who has been billed as a future megastar since his UFC debut, finally captured gold at UFC 319, and the money followed. His payout from the event is believed to be between $1.8 and $2 million, the highest paycheck of his career so far.

Despite losing his UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev, Dricus du Plessis continues to cement his status as one of South Africa’s top MMA stars, with his skill, marketability, and rising profile showing that his career is only heading upwards.

UFC 319 is officially set to take place at the United Center, headlined by a highly anticipated matchup between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

Ever since his 2020 UFC debut, when he earned a trio of dominant victories in a stretch of just 65 days, Khamzat Chimaev has been the promotion's greatest enigma as a fighter who is capable of magic in one performance only to look surprisingly human in his next amid a somewhat consistent stretch of inactivity.