Former UFC Title Challenger Can’t Afford To Train
Michael McDonald is ranked #8 in the UFC Bantamweight Division at the moment, he competed twice in 2016, including a losing effort against John Lineker in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. McDonald. McDonald may not be seen in the octagon for quite some time, and for good reason.
“I'm trying to make enough money right now to pay my bills and still have a little savings for a camp,” McDonald told ESPN. “And it's tough because I don't know if camp will be perfect and I don't know if I'll pay for one, only to have my opponent back out. It's always iffy.”
McDonald, despite having no money to train, still wants to fight.
“My goal is to fight, but I also have to keep my possessions,” McDonald said. "I've borrowed money before and racked up $15,000 in debt in order to train like a professional athlete. And I've went through injuries and lost everything, twice. I've lost my home and moved back in with my parents. The worst part is you never really know if you have enough. You just get this chunk of money and you're saying, 'I hope this [is] enough.' Let's say I have $20,000 in the bank. I think I'm good, start working my butt off, get injured and need surgery. By the time I get healthy, now I've got $5,000. What happens if I get injured again? I've had three hand surgeries and taken two years off before. You go into a lot of debt doing that."
McDonald has earned a total of six wins in the UFC and he has previously challenged for the UFC Bantamweight Title, losing to then champion Renan Barao at UFC On Fuel TV 7.
