According to an Oct. 5 post from MMA Junkie, UFC vet Cole Miller says he makes less money from sponsorships than he did in the early days of his MMA career.
"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 opened up about the matter on Twitter, as he hinted that the MMA industry might be hurting since sponsorship money isn't what it used to be.
"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."
Miller is set to fight Andy Ogle on the Facebook-streamed portion of the Oct. 26 UFC event, which takes place at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England. He says some companies won't even call him back when they find out he's not on the televised portion of the card.
"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."
Miller said he still enjoys the fighting, but that he's getting annoyed with the marketing and advertising aspects of the game.
"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."
