Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight contender Jacob Volkmann is all set to make his World Series of Fighting (WSOF) debut at the rookie promotion's third event this June, taking on Lyle Beerbohm at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But he's not done with UFC just yet.
"Feelgood" is still "very bitter" about the way things went down outside the Octagon, including the "horrible" healthcare plan he was offered and the way the promotion treats 95-percent of its fighters, specifically, those not competing on a UFC main card.
Volks breaks it down for Above and Beyond MMA:
"Very bitter. They always claim that they treat the fighters so well. Yeah, they treat the top five percent 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. People always tell me, 'You're rich - you're on TV!' Are you kidding me? I made $54,000 two years ago, paid $9,000 in taxes, so that leaves me with $45,000. This last year, I made $50,000 and paid $8,000 in taxes. That leaves me with $42,000 - that's barely above poverty. I have three kids and a wife I'm supporting. I'm trying to make the fans realize what the UFC is really like - I'm going to expose them as much as I can. But also my goal is to win in World Series and try to stay undefeated. Obviously it's to win. The short-term goal is to win. The long-term goal is, as soon as they come out with that belt, I'd like to get that belt."
Well, at least it gets him off President Obama's back (for now).
Volkmann was last seen tapping out to Strikeforce import Bobby Green at the UFC 156 pay-per-view (PPV) event earlier this year. It was his second submission loss in a span of three fights, but just his second defeat since early 2010 when he rebounded with five consecutive victories.
His untimely release may have been a bit more surprising, had it not come around the same time that former welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch was put out to pasture. Regardless, he'll have a second chance to make his mark in mixed martial arts (MMA) on June 14 in "Sin City."
And hopefully keep himself above "poverty."