Vinny Magalhaes (pictured) will retire from fighting if he gets cut by the UFC. Photo by Esther Lin.
If Vinny Magalhaes doesn’t get a contract renewal or gets abruptly cut by the UFC, the light heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu specialist will retire from fighting.
The fighter said he’s currently waiting on a decision by the UFC on whether they’ll offer him a new deal after his next fight — which is the last on his current contract — or if the company will release him altogether.
“I have one more fight left in my contract, but we all know that it doesn’t mean much and there’s a chance that I get cut,” Magalhaes told MSN Brazil. “Before this fight I said I deserved to get cut if I didn’t win. I’m waiting for the UFC’s decision. Anything can happen, but I really don’t care, man.”
Many former and unnamed current UFC fighters have complained in the past about the low wages offered by the UFC. Magalhaes recognized the complaints of his colleagues, but added that fighting outside of the organization makes the income much worse. That being the case, if he receives his walking papers, Magalhaes doesn’t see a point to fighting anymore.
The lack of income from competing is something Magalhaes has dealt with in the past, he said. When he was competing in Jiu-Jitsu, he decided to stop because of the financial problems he ran into. He doesn’t plan on having the same issues in his MMA career.
“People say that the UFC doesn’t pay much to their fighters, but if you look to the other events it’s even worse,” he said, adding, “so if they cut me, I don’t see why I should keep fighting in other events.
“I’d rather open my own gym than fight for little money. I stopped fighting in Jiu-Jitsu because of the financial part, so it would make no sense for me to return now. If the UFC doesn’t renew my contract, I’ll stop (fighting).”
