Blaydes on last fight of contract, will consider Bellator without ‘a decent offer’ from UFC

Curtis Blaydes is in MMA for the money, and he’s not afraid to make that known.

Curtis Blaydes picked up the biggest win of his MMA career over the weekend in Perth, and even before the bout went down, his major concern was money. Blaydes, who scored a unanimous decision win over Mark Hunt at UFC 221, spoke to MMA Junkie before the fight about his contract. He indicated that he had two fights left going into the Hunt bout, and he’s looking to get paid before the last bout on his deal.

And if not, he has no qualms about talking to the competition:

“If the UFC allows me to get to that fourth fight without a decent offer … I’ll listen to Bellator,” he said.

...

“They’ve been offering guys fat, fat contracts, and those heavyweights aren’t nearly as good as the ones in the UFC,” he said. “So the enticement is there – lesser competition for more money.”

While most fighters talk about glory and titles and stuff like that, Blaydes is a businessman. He has one concern, and that’s why he’s in the sport:

“I don’t care if no one ever learns my name, as long as my bank account is full,” he said. “Because I’m not getting hit in the face just because I like it.

“I know there are guys who enjoy getting hit in the face. They enjoy the rush. They enjoy the adrenaline. I don’t. I don’t like getting hit in the face. It pisses me off. I’m only doing it because we’re getting paid. If we weren’t getting paid, I wouldn’t do this.

“I’m not one of those guys like, ‘If we were two guys in the backyard, I would still throw down.’ I would not. I’m in it for the money. I don’t feel bad about that at all.”

Honestly, I find this kind of talk refreshing. Fighting is a job, and if more fighters were so focused on getting the best available value for their services, maybe the sport might evolve a little faster in terms of compensation. Maybe.