Volkmann

By FCF Staff

Not long after UFC vet John Cholish announced he was retiring, and cited his lack of financial compensation as one factor, Jacob Volkmann has reportedly criticized his former employer as well.

Volkmann was recently asked by Above and Beyond MMA.com if he was bitter about his UFC release, which followed a submission loss to Bobby Green in February. The move surprised quite a few observers, due to the fact Volkmann had gone 6-2 with the promotion since moving to lightweight.

“Very bitter. They always claim that they treat the fighters so well. Yeah, they treat the top five per cent of the fighters well — the ones that are on the main card all the time. They don’t treat the rest of them very well. The healthcare plan is horrible, with a $1,500 deductible per injury — the catastrophic-injury insurance is not even really good insurance. There’s no retirement fund, there’s no signing bonus. You start off at six-and-six, you’re really not making too much money because you’re self-employed, so you’re paying the self-employment tax and you’re paying the regular tax and income tax. So you’re paying twice as much in tax. They claim they’re treating the fighters well, but they’re not, realistically.”

Volkmann also argued that fighters who “stand-and-bang” are more likely to remain with the organization, rather than fighters who take fights to the ground and focus more on “technique.”

The 32 year-old Volkmann recently signed with World Series of Fighting and will fight Lyle Beerbohm on June 14th.