Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje will face off in UFC 254 on Saturday in a massive — and profitable — lightweight unification bout.
For the first time in their respective careers, Nurmagomedov (28-0, 8 KOs) will face off against Gaethje (22-2, 19 KOs) in the night’s main card. The fight will take place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates: a long-coming, lucrative bout for both fighters.
Gaethje represents the second consecutive interim champion Nurmagomedov will fight in a bid to unify his belt, won in April 2018 over Al Iaquinta; he previously beat Dustin Poirier via submission in September 2019. (Coincidentally, Poirier has already beaten Gaethje via fourth-round TKO, also in April 2018).
Will Gaethje be able to unseat Nurmagomedov to unify the belt for himself? Or will Nurmagomedov take it over once and for all? Either way, both fighters should make bank off their supersized bout. Here’s everything you need to know about the money Nurmagomedov and Gaethje stand to make at UFC 254:
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UFC 254 purse, prize money
We won’t know the full purse and prize money for UFC 254 until after Saturday’s fight. That said, both fighters’ most recent bouts suggest their Saturday matchup will be plenty profitable (especially Nurmagomedov). Here are the reported earnings from their most previous fights at UFC 242 and 249, respectively:
Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242: $6 million*
Nurmagomedov ($6 million, $50,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Poirier ($290,000)
*Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s father, told TASS his son expected to take in more than $6 million for the fight.
Justin Gaethje at UFC 249: $3.318 million**
Gaethje ($350,000) def. Tony Ferguson ($500,000)
**reported earnings to the Florida State Athletic Commission
What is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s net worth?
Nurmagomedov’s net worth is listed at $30 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. His father, however, told The Daily Mail in April 2020 that his son was worth $100 million. Forbes reported that the fighter raked in $16.5 million in the 2019-20 fiscal year.
What is Justin Gaethje’s net worth?
Celebrity Net Worth lists Gaethje’s net worth at $2 million as of 2020. SPORKETZ reports that his net worth is $3 million.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s career record
The reigning lightweight champion enters his bout with Gaethje with a 28-0 record: eight via KO, 10 by submission and 10 by unanimous decision. He won the vacant lightweight belt against Iaquinta in 2018 at UFC 223, defending it against Conor McGregor the following October at UFC 229 and Poirier in September 2019 at UFC 242. Gaethje will represent his third title defense and third straight fighter who has held at least the interim lightweight championship.
Justin Gaethje’s career record
Gaethje boasts a 22-2 record. Nineteen of his wins were by KO; two were by submission, and one was by unanimous decision. He suffered back-to-back losses in December 2017 and April 2018 to Eddie Alvarez (KO) and Poirier (TKO), respectively, but has since won four straight. Gaethje earned his interim title against Tony Ferguson in May, ending his 12-fight undefeated streak. Ferguson originally was slated to fight Nurmagomedov in April, but the latter backed out of his fight as Russia was restricting air travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.