\n<\/p>\n
We could see a lot more UFC fighters hitting free agency in the future.<\/p>\n
It used to be a rarity to see a fighter fight out their contract and enter free agency. The general policy was to see fighters sign a new deal before competing in the final bout on their existing contract. Not any more, according to UFC bantamweight Elijah Smith.<\/p>\n
Smith came into the UFC through Dana White\u2019s Contender Series and has gone 4-0 with the promotion, three of those ending via finish. He\u2019s not one of those boring decision merchants with no highlights to his name. So it was shocking to hear he wasn\u2019t offered a new contract before fighting out his current contract against Davey Grant last weekend in Las Vegas. And that may be the new norm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that this was my last fight of my contract, and I was always told that we would probably renew a contract right before the last fight,\u201d Smith told Ariel Helwani. \u201cThat didn\u2019t happen. My manager got back to me. He said it\u2019s something that they haven\u2019t done before and they\u2019re not doing anybody\u2019s contract that\u2019s outside of the top 15.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised,\u201d he continued. \u201cComing off two finishes, I\u2019m young, I\u2019m marketable, I\u2019m an exciting fighter. Fans want to see me fight. So I was super surprised. From what I\u2019ve heard, that\u2019s not the case in most instances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I don\u2019t know if they want to save money or something or there\u2019s too many people on the roster, but yeah, that\u2019s what it was. I got the fight and they\u2019re not redoing anybody\u2019s contract outside the top 15. So I guess everyone\u2019s just fighting out their contract. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s for all the weight classes or just the bantamweight weight class, but that\u2019s what was told to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years the UFC has been criticized for being so aggressive when it came to keeping fighters signed to the organization. If you weren\u2019t willing to sign a new contract, there was a good chance you\u2019d end up on the matchmakers\u2019 bad side, potentially affecting your ability to return.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s no longer the case for those outside the top 15, even firecrackers like Smith. Will this be good for them, or just make things less stable for those starting out their UFC careers?<\/p>\n