Jake Collier on needed UFC win bonus: 'When it comes to dirt poor, I'm dirt poor'

In his post-fight interview Jake Collier said that by the end of the week, he and his family rely on spare quarters to make ends meet. So a win bonus at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 68 event was a significant help, he said.

Collier (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) earned a narrow split-decision victory over fellow middleweight Ricardo Abreu (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed prelims of the event, which took place at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center.

Afterward, Collier said he wasn’t joking about his tight finances.

“I can pay bills (with my win bonus),” he said. “I have three kids, three sons. I work full-time, and so does my wife. We live in an apartment. So, this is going to help us so much.

“When it comes to dirt poor, I’m dirt poor. I was raised dirt poor.”

He said it’s one reason he’s so thankful to be where he’s at, with the potential for even bigger paydays in the future.

“Coming here, I’m just a redneck from the sticks, man,” he said. “This is a dream come true, man. I literally got my coach and my two hillbilly buddies who can wrestle with me. This is how we are. It’s the truth.”

Check out the full conversation above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 68, check out the UFC Events section of the site.