Cole Smith Recaps UFC Debut Win & Clarifies Comments On Fighter Pay

Cole Smith made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night Ottawa, defeating Mitch Gagnon by unanimous decision.

A victorious Smith wanted his brother Casey mic’d by the UFC while cornering the bout at UFC Ottawa, especially since a confrontation between Casey and the Ottawa athletic commission took place right before the action began.

“Oh yeah, lots of people caught that. That was the perfect soundbite, if you know my brother…that’s exactly what you would expect him to say. I was actually chuckling to myself when I heard it, when they (the UFC) asked me who I wanted to be mic’d up…I said ‘lets mic Casey, he’s the best guy to mic. He’s gonna give us some gems,’ I’m glad that he got out there with that,” says Smith in an exclusive interview with Fightful’s James Lynch.

The issue between Casey and the athletic commission had to do with how many corner people Smith had for the fight, with Casey winning the argument in the end.

Smith made some controversial comments about fighter pay after UFC Fight Night Ottawa, but Smith says the media twisted everything that was said.

“The media is really twisting everything, this is my first big shot with the media and all this kind of stuff. So I kind of learned my lesson, but I just came out of the fight…I just got rocked and I was in a choke for two and a half minutes. I was refusing the idea that I even got hit, obviously I wasn’t in the best head space there and then I brought up fighter pay. When I was talking about fighter pay, I was talking locally…it was very difficult locally to get to where I am at now. I made $10,000 locally, that was the most that I ever made in my life and that was with sponsorships…selling t-shirts. The money that I got…everything that I could possibly do, that’s what it came out to. I can’t be happier with the UFC, they are an excellent organization. Regarding fighter pay and all that stuff, I don’t have a stance on it…I don’t wanna be involved in it. It just came out, I wasn’t quite sure of what I was talking about. Next time I’m gonna have to take fifteen to twenty minutes to sit down, get my head on straight before I talk to the media. They can spin anything, I love the sport. When the media says ‘Cole Smith, this sport sucks.’ I love the sport, it’s a great sport. What I meant by it sucks is that you work extremely hard, you gotta be dedicated…a lot of pressure is riding on you. I mean it sucks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the pressure, I love the sport. Again, I couldn’t be happier with the UFC. They have been fantastic to me, they run such a well organized event. Everything was super smooth, I’ve learned my lesson talking to the media and how easy it is for them to twist everything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with everything to do with the UFC and I’m really looking forward to my partnership with them,” says Smith.

There is no word at this time as to when Smith will return to action, but the fighter currently holds a 7-0-0 record in MMA competition.