R. Franklin, former UFC champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Rich Franklin, former UFC middleweight champion, stated that his financial gains from fights to date are not enough for permanent retirement.
The American said that, as soon as he hangs up his MMA gloves, he will have to dedicate himself full time to other ventures in order to ensure his family's financial stability.
“I would have money to live my modest life comfortably for a while, but I couldn't retire forever. I need another source of income to earn money and live my life comfortably”, said the fighter, in an interview with the North American website “Fight Hub”.
However, Franklin avoided complaining about the UFC and stated that his current situation is better than what he had in his previous profession, when he was a mathematics teacher.
“I always make an analogy with people: in the NFL [league of American football in the United States], I can negotiate my contract with a team. If I don't like this contract, there are 31 other teams for me to negotiate with. The UFC is the only one, so that gives them a bit of an advantage. Congratulations to them for having such a good business plan”, he commented. “I would never complain if someone wanted to put another ‘zero’ on my checks. But you have to remember that I was a high school teacher and I switched to MMA. I made more money fighting than I would ever make teaching,” he concluded.
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