Ian McCalls tid i UFC har varit allt annat än lätt. Hans skador har varit ett överväldigande problem för flugviktaren som haft hela sju operationer samt dragits med MRSA flertalet gånger. McCall hade kunnat tänka sig stanna i UFC om hans manager löste ett bättre kontrakt. McCall begärde 50,000 (ca. 400,000 kronor) dollar som baslön och ytterligare 50,000 dollar vid vinst. Men hans manager fick inte igenom hans nya kontrakt och McCall erbjöds istället 22,000 dollar (ca. 180,000 kronor) i baslön och 22,000 dollar vid vinst. En frustrerad McCall valde senare att bryta med sin manager och UFC. Genom MMAJunkie sade han följande.
There’s other options for me out there. Good, corporate options with benefits. I finally got out of my funk, I finally feel like me again. This is all fun and games for me. What’s going to happen? Someone’s going to tell me, ‘You’re not worth it?’ OK. I’ll just go and do the job I’m doing now, and not hurt my body. I’ll make more money doing this, probably get offered another good corporate job, or land the job that was originally offered to me. Life doesn’t suck for me. I have options outside of fighting
McCall utesluter inte att fightas igen där RIZIN i Japan är en möjlig slutdestination.
I want to explore my options. I’ve got one last good run in me, to go fight for a good solid couple of years, if I can keep my health up. As healthy as I am now, I can do that. The way I’ve tailored my training, it’s about getting in shape now. For the first time in five years, I’m really clear-headed and ready to go. And I feel healthy. For the last five years, since I’ve been in the UFC, I’ve had seven surgeries, two or three bouts of MRSA, I tore my hip and groin, I popped my knee, and I had a blood infection. It hasn’t been a good environment for me. It’s time to move on.
McCall bryter med UFC där han landade på ett UFC-facit med 2-3-1.
