The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 plus 2 plus 4 letter word WIN, LOSE OR DRAW
W
I
N
,
L
O
S
E
O
R
D
R
A
W
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "whatever the outcome" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case whatever the outcome = win, lose or draw.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.