"Didn't he scam people with a crypto?" - Khamzat Chimaev's claim that he makes more money than some UFC champions ignites mixed reaction from fans

Fans were divided over Khamzat Chimaev's statement where he claimed to be paid more than some UFC champions. Chimaev is one of the most popular fighters from the Caucasian region and has become a frontrunner for the middleweight title shot in recent years.

The 30-year-old is set to take on former title holder Robert Whittaker in a potential title eliminator bout at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. Meanwhile, former champion Sean Strickland is rumored to be the next challenger, but the UFC hasn't made an official announcement so far.

During the Media Day interactions, the MMA media asked Chimaev if he should get a title shot with a potential dominant win over Whittaker. Chimaev responded:

"I hope so. But they said that before as well when I beat Gilbert Burns. That was some two or three years ago. I didn't get my chance. After that, they said 'If he beats Usman, he'll fight for the title.' So we'll see."

He added:

"I'm happy with the money. I'm making more money than many champions, so..."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (2:07):

MMA Junkie re-posted Chimaev's statement on X. Fans took to the comments section of the post and shared their thoughts.

"Dang this dude signed a sick deal with UFC.. didn’t know that," @SirRobertsLocks commented.

"Why do fighters flexing on their pay?," @SKAmazing17 commented.

"Oh boy, this guy is about to learn a HARD lesson Saturday," @CV_1017 commented.

A few months ago, Chimaev endorsed a meme-themed crypto coin, SMASH. The crypto coin lost its value in a short time, and Chimaev was heavily criticized for endorsing the product without proper knowledge. Responding to Chimaev's statement, some fans criticized him for the crypto debacle.

"Runs scams and barely fights and also pulls out of fights, claims gets paid more than champs and for what? lol," @poscabby commented.

"All the crypto scam money brudda," @Jal_Meta commented.

"Khamzat makes more than the champs do, because he scams people with crypto," @dragovic_daniel commented.

"This guy. Didn't he scam people with a crypto? Yeah some big man," @guyontheearth commented.

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Khamzat Chimaev gives a cold reply when asked how the Robert Whittaker fight would go

Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the UFC's upper weight classes. Meanwhile, Robert Whitaker is highly regarded as a skilled striker with solid takedown defense. While many expect their UFC 308 clash to be an intriguing stylistic matchup, Chimaev seems confident in his ability to get past the former champion.

While interacting with the members of MMA media, Chimaev was asked how he sees the fight playing out on Oct. 26. He responded:

"I don't know. We'll see. He knows how to lose, we don't know. So I'm ready for victory." [2:56]"

Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev were expected to face each other in the UFC's inaugural event in Saudi Arabia this past June. However, Chimaev was forced to pull out due to a health scare, and Whittaker defeated Ikram Aliskerov in a short-notice fight. The fight was then re-booked for UFC 308. At the time of writing, Whittaker is a +200 underdog while Chimaev is a -280 favorite.