Costas Philippou doesn't care about UFC title, just wants to 'get a little money' before moving on

For most mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, the ultimate goal in combat sports is to win a world title; or at least have the chance to compete for one before their career comes to an end.

Costas Philippou, however, isn't like most fighters.

According to "The Cypress Slugger," he isn't in the fight game to win championships or become famous. No sir, Costas simply wants to make as much coin as possible by punching people's faces before moving on to the next phase of his life.

Philippou broke it down to ESPN:

"That's not me. I never saw myself in mixed martial arts and I never saw myself in the UFC. I don't care about the fame or being called a champion. It's just a means to an end right now. Get a little money to move on to the next step of my life. Fighting is not my life. It's something I'm good at and it's what I do right now."

With an attitude like that, you would think Costas would be lacking motivation going into his middleweight fight against Luke Rockhold, which headlines UFC Fight Night 35 tonight (Jan. 15, 2014) in Duluth, Georgia.

But you'd be mistaken.

Philippou would love nothing more than to defeat the former Strikeforce 185-pound champion and get back on the winning track after having his five-fight win streak snapped by Francis Carmont at UFC 165 last September. A loss that derailed a potential championship bout for the New Yorker.

An opportunity Costas says he wouldn't turn down, just not desperate to get. Because at the end of the day, if Philippou keeps receiving a steady paycheck from Zuffa without ever vying for the gold, he'd be content.

And if he wants that check to keep rolling in, he has to keep winning fights.

Nothing like honesty.