UFN 41 co-headliner C.B. Dollaway: 'Coming here, I'm losing money'

BERLIN – UFC middleweight C.B. Dollaway sees his fight with Francis Carmont as an investment.

For now, it’s a losing one. But it may not be that way by Sunday morning.

Dollaway (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) told MMAjunkie he agreed to fight middleweight Carmont (22-8 MMA, 6-1 UFC) not necessarily because of the money he’ll make when they fight on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 41, but what a win means at the negotiating table.

He said if can come out ahead against Carmont, who currently No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, he expects to ink a more lucrative contract.

“Maybe I miss out on $10,000 or $15,000 now, but a victory over him puts me in position to make a lot more money,” he said. “I have this fight and one more on my contract. Generally, the UFC negotiates with one fight left on your contract.

“So, after this fight, I’ll be renegotiating.”

Dollaway, 30, admits he probably wouldn’t have gauged the value of his upcoming fight had the UFC not instituted its own rankings, which have recently come under fire. But he is adamant that he doesn’t want to be left with nothing at the end of his fight career, which he estimates will end in five or six years. He is preparing for the moment he can no longer strap on his gloves.

He said he wants to make between $50,000 and $60,000 per fight with his next contract. And by finishing a top-10 opponent, he believes he should get it.

“They’re going to pay for guys who can finish fights,” Dollaway said. “I’ve just got to go out and do it. At the end of the day, you miss out on a little money here. But $15,000 isn’t going to change my life.

“This fight could change my life. It could get me to that next echelon.”

For now, Dollaway said he will get $30,000 to show up for the bout, which takes place at Berlin’s O2 Arena and streams on UFC Fight Pass. He said the loss, however, is in the costs associated with bringing additional coaches to help him on Saturday.

The UFC pays the travel costs for two people per fighter for an event. But to bring along any additional coaches or training partners, that falls upon the fighter, as do other ancillary costs incurred in training camp.

Dollaway said he’s also losing money in sponsor dollars for the Internet-streamed event. He said he can make up to $20,000 for a fight on cable TV or pay-per-view from companies with which he has long-term relationships. But he agreed not to charge them the usual amount on Saturday for wearing a logo.

“You don’t want to rip off your friends,” he said. “You know the numbers are going to be lower. It is what it is. To preserve the relationship is more valuable.”

Of course, Dollaway could offset the financial loss with a performance bonus, which he’s won on three occasions. That money, he said, helped keep him afloat this past year when he needed a complete ankle reconstruction and was benched for several months.

The promotion also pays undisclosed bonuses, though their size and frequency are disputed among UFC contractees.

On the whole, however, Dollaway is looking ahead at his future. While he stressed several times that he’s not looking past Carmont, whom he believes will try to wrestle him to a decision, he is trying to do everything he can to make sure he maximizes his remaining time in the sport.

“My wife and I will kind of go at it a little bit about how I’m like, I always want to have this amount of money saved, because in our line of work, things happen,” he said. “You don’t get paid until you step into the ring on fight night.

“Sometimes, she doesn’t understand. (She says), ‘We have plenty of money, don’t worry.’ And I’m like, it’s my job to worry because if I don’t step into the ring on fight night, you blow an ACL out, we’re not getting paid for eight months.

“Now, I’m here, and I don’t worry, because I’m stepping into the ring on Saturday night.”

He remembers a conversation with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva that really got his attention about improving his lot in the industry-leading promotion.

“In my last contract negotiation, Joe … (asked), ‘Who have you beat?,’” he said. “But, it’s reality. He goes, ‘I need people to fight my champions. I need contenders. You’re not a contender yet. Become a contender. Become exciting.’”

Dollaway took the message to heart. In his most recent fight, he upset and knocked out Cezar Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 38. He has won three of his past four bouts and believes a loss to Tim Boetsch wasn’t a setback to his career, as the UFC has put him in co-headliner spots in his past two fights, including against Carmont.

“I feel I’ve become exciting,” he said. “I’m now trying to become a contender. Now, I want to be paid. I’m not asking for a million dollars, but I want hopefully a little step up. That next pay scale.

“I feel ($50,000 to $60,000) is where I’m at, but I leave that to the agent and them to figure out. I trust in my agent. He does very well for me.”

Undoubtedly, though, the best advocates for Dollaway are his fists, elbows, knees and legs. While a knockout of Ferreira was a good start, a similar result against Carmont would bring him even more attention.

Down the road, it would also bring more dollars, too.

For more on UFC Fight Night 41, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.