UFC Fight Night 81’s Mitrione: I could easily walk away if I lose or don’t get money I want

BOSTON – UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione is approaching his UFC Fight Night 81 bout against Travis Browne with a wait-and-see attitude.

If he wins, he marches on. If he loses, he might change directions. If he doesn’t get a raise, he could walk away.

At 37, Mitrione, whose MMA career has transpired solely in the octagon after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” said he’s a realist. In a video interview with MMAjunkie, he said he’s not desperate to keep fighting if the circumstances aren’t right.

And lately, there’ve been quite a few developments that have made fighting a lot less attractive. The payouts before, during and after training camp, taxes and a lack of sponsorship dollars. Mitrione also claims those famous locker-room bonuses backstage at UFC events are a thing of the past.

“That has a drastic effect on a lot of things, so you have to look at that,” he said. “Look, am I just trying to prolong the inevitable … or am I actually getting ahead?”

A loss to Ben Rothwell in his previous fight undoubtedly was a setback. Mitrione feels like it happened three years ago. But in reality, it was seven months.

When UFC matchmaker Joe Silva called him with an opportunity to fight Browne (17-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC), who was once on the cusp of a heavyweight title fight before a high-profile loss to now-champ Fabricio Werdum and had recently stumbled again with a knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski, Mitrione (9-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was overjoyed. It was a lot better news than his previous interaction with UFC brass.

Mitrione said he talked to UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta about getting more money. He didn’t say when, but the conversation probably took place not long after he publicly criticized the promotion over its pay scale. The takeaway was not an immediate boost. He would have to earn it if he wanted bigger paydays.

That makes his fight with Browne significant in that it could send him down a very different path from the one he’s walked since the reality show. He spoke of obtaining certifications that would allow him to become a firefighter with the fire department in Purdue, Ind., not far from his Indianapolis home before he moved to South Florida to train with the Blackzilians.

A job that paid $65,000 with good benefits and plenty of time off sounds pretty attractive to the heavyweight, who once played pro football for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings.

Of course, Mitrione expects to fight to his potential and defeat Browne. He is still invested in what he admits is the pipe dream of the one fight that puts his MMA career in high gear. It’s just that he’s got other things in mind, as too.

“I’m not afraid to walk away,” Mitrione said. “I’ve got a life set up enough. I’m not thinking about it, but if Travis smokes me, or if I don’t get the money that I want after Travis, then I could easily walk away.”

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