On Saturday night at the Pyramids of Giza, kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven stepped into a professional boxing ring for just the second time in his career and earned a reported $15 million.
He pushed undefeated heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk through ten tough rounds. With just one second left in the 11th round, Usyk dropped Verhoeven with a crisp right uppercut, but it led to controversy over the early stoppage.
Despite the TKO loss, Verhoeven nearly pulled off the biggest upset in boxing history. Usyk retained his WBC title and took home his massive paycheck, estimated at $40 million. And here the story gets more interesting.
Fourteen days earlier, Khamzat Chimaev headlined UFC 328 at a sold-out Prudential Center in Newark. The event set an all-time arena record with a $7,518,918 live gate and 17,783 fans in attendance.
Despite the massive commercial success, the estimated combined payout for all 26 athletes on the UFC card was roughly $7.38 million. Verhoeven’s single boxing purse alone doubled what the entire UFC 328 roster earned combined.
Sean Strickland Stuns Khamzat Chimaev, But Real Shock Was the Paycheck Gap
Sean Strickland handed Khamzat Chimaev the first loss of his career via split decision to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328. But their paycheck now becomes the biggest story after “Glory in Giza.”
Reports from GiveMeSport placed Chimaev’s payout at approximately $3.09 million, with Strickland taking home around $1.08 million. Those were the biggest numbers on the card by a wide margin.
Meanwhile, the official UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts totaled just $371,000 across all fighters combined. As the defending champion, Chimaev received $42,000 in compliance pay. Strickland, entering the bout as an elite veteran challenger with over 21 promotional fights, also received $42,000.
Boxing might genuinely be the biggest money laundering sport in the world.
Beginning to think boxing-level pay in MMA might actually hurt the sport more than help it. 📌#UFC pic.twitter.com/wZfDqbFrCq
— The Fight Fanatic (@FightFanatic_) May 25, 2026
Now compare that to Verhoeven’s boxing match against Usyk. The 37-year-old received a guaranteed $10 million just to step into the ring, and that number jumped to around $15 million once pay-per-view bonuses rolled in. Verhoeven’s single paycheck made one of the UFC’s biggest stars look like a side character.
Rico Verhoeven’s Solo Check Suggests Boxing-UFC Pay Gap Moving in One Direction Only
The gap was already there, but it is getting bigger by the day. Five years ago, a crossover kickboxer earning $15 million in a boxing match was unthinkable. Today, it is a headline.
Saudi and Egyptian sovereign wealth-funded events have fundamentally reset what elite combat sports nights pay out. Each major boxing spectacle, from Fury-Usyk to Glory in Giza, pushes the ceiling higher.
Until Dana White decides to make a major revamp of the UFC’s entire payment system, this difference is not going anywhere. When a Dutch kickboxer fighting in just his second boxing match makes five times more than a global superstar like Chimaev in the same two-week span, people will notice and raise eyebrows.
