UFC vet Cole Miller expands on gripes about MMA's current sponsorship landscape

Later this month at UFC Fight Night 30, Cole Miller will make his 15th appearance in the UFC octagon in a bout against Andy Ogle, who, like him, is a veteran of the promotion’s “The Ultimate Fighter” franchise.

Since his appearance on the reality show’s fifth season, Miller (19-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has won fights in impressive fashion and also suffered setbacks. As of late, he’s had a particularly tough run, losing three of four, which included a decision loss in August to his former castmate, Manny Gamburyan.

He is appealing the loss to Gamburyan on the grounds of bad refereeing. In the meantime, he is preparing to fight Ogle (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the Facebook-streamed portion of the Oct. 26 event, which takes place at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England.

These days, Miller said there are fewer frills in training camp.

The 29-year-old fighter likely will receive around the same base pay to fight Ogle as he did for his recent loss, in which he was paid $26,000. But perhaps the biggest hit he’ll take is in the amount of money he secures for appearing on an Internet fight card.

Miller said he probably will make less in sponsor money than he did when he fought on un-televised preliminary cards early in his UFC career. In those days, he said he could count on banking between $4,000 and $5,000 in sponsor money for a “dark” fight. In 2010, he peaked at $23,500.

Against Ogle, he said he’ll be lucky to make $3,500.

For newcomers and veterans alike, the money made from being a walking billboard can mean the difference between feast and famine in the fight game. According to the 29-year-old fighter, there’s just less of it around now than three years ago.

“It seems like everything has dried up, and the companies only want to commit to a smaller roster for their company,” Miller told MMAjunkie.com.

Miller stressed that he’s a fighter first and doesn’t understand the ins and outs of marketing and advertising. But he doesn’t need to be to figure out that the sponsor game has changed for the worse.

“There are these companies that just straight up won’t call back right after they hear that I’m on Facebook,” he said.

There also are companies that offer him $100 worth of free gear in exchange for a patch on his shorts, or a logo on the sponsor banner that once was a bloodied flag adorned with the logo of his longtime MMA team, American Top Team.

Miller won’t say what these businesses are – only that they are the same ones you see plastered on headliners or co-main event fighters, who presumably receive cash, and a lot more than $100.

Recently, he decided that he’d had enough of being quiet on the subject and vented his feelings on Twitter.

“The MMA industry must be hurting,” he wrote. “Past few fights I’ve been getting ‘offers’ to rep companies for free. Tell me others aren’t agreeing to this.”

Now, he tells sponsors that he won’t entertain one-fight sponsor deals or any that don’t pay him in hard currency, which he said goes straight back into his training. Because of his slump, he’s more selective in how he invests in himself.

“It’s frustrating for me,” Miller said. “It’s not like I’m taking the sponsor money and buying bottles in Miami. I’m trying to train with Marcello Garcia at least once a year. I’m trying to pay my boxing coach. I’m trying to give my trainers at American Top Team a little extra. I’m trying to do better for myself.”

Miller said many of his teammates who fight for promotions that have deals with AXS TV make more in sponsorship money. Of course, those promotions don’t carry the same sponsor restrictions as the UFC, which charges a fee to companies wishing to endorse athletes.

“I’ve got fellow fighters that are fighting on local shows that are making the same money, or more, than I am,” he said.

Miller also notes that the number of companies that cater to MMA fighters hasn’t diminished. It’s just that the ones that are able to sponsor UFC fighters are less generous than ever. Those players, he said, need to think long term.

“I think a sponsor is somebody who not only wants to be there when you’re at the top, but wants to be there to give you, or help you, give yourself the means to get better, even when things aren’t quite going your way at that moment,” he said. “Someone that will stick with you because they believe in what you’re doing and the progress that you’re trying to make.”

Right now, that progress is coming in fits and starts. A win over Ogle could make Miller a more attractive candidate for that kind of backing. But it may be that for fighters with ups and downs, the norm for endorsements is a short-term scramble.

“I enjoy the fighting,” Miller said. “I enjoy the training. But all the stuff that goes along with it is getting annoying, and I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to a normal kind of lifestyle.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 30, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.