The UFC is the world leader in MMA. In almost every metric, the UFC is miles ahead of its competition and is regularly billed as the place to be for MMA fighters. For most MMA fighters, joining the UFC is the ultimate dream. However, rising MMA star Paul Hughes does not believe this is the case.
The UFC is not the only promotion in town with the likes of PFL, Bellator, and One Championship offering viable alternatives to up-and-coming fighters,
For the uninitiated, Hughes is an exciting fighter from Northern Ireland with a record of 11-1. Of the 11 wins, eight have been finishes. A notable point in his career came when he defeated Morgan Charriere to win the interim gold and then defeated Jordan Vucenic to unify the division. When he competed in the 2021 FIGHT PASS Fight of the Year, it was evident that he had the potential to captivate fans with exciting fight scenes.
Hughes recently entered the market as a free agent and snubbed the UFC in favor of PFL. In a recent interview with ‘MMA Junkie’ he explained the reason behind his actions. He said,
“Well look, being on that card was definitely not off the table. There is no reason why I wouldn’t or couldn’t have been on that card, if I had chosen to sign with the UFC which of course I had an offer from. I am trailblazing my own path here. Why should you fight a few years before you start making money when you bring the value to the table. The value I bring to this game, I deserve to be compensated for that.”
Hughes also went on to list a number of other reasons as to why he decided to snub the UFC.
Paul Hughes aims to forge his own path after snubbing Dana White and the UFC
The UFC and Dana White do a very good job of identifying and signing new talent from all around the world. This has helped them grow significantly over the past few years. However, new fighters who join the UFC are subject to contracts that aren’t exactly financially enticing.
Fighter pay has been a contentious subject for the Dana White-led company and continues to be one of the most debatable aspects of the sport. Of course, once certain fighters reach a particular level of stardom or become champions, their fortunes are known to change, the most prominent examples of this being Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya.
But for new fighters, the pay can be comparable to peanuts. And peanuts is not what Hughes was interested in.
He felt that since he was already a world champion he should not have to settle for less. ‘Big News’ stated that he has not shut the door to joining the UFC, however, for that to happen the UFC would have to treat him like the champion that he is. That’s a fair point from a man who knows his worth and is willing to make difficult choices.
