Shane Burgos wrote out a pros and cons list determining whether he should depart from the UFC when PFL came to him with a mind-boggling contract offer in free agency.
When he had done his assessment of the situation and thought about the logical next step for his career, he said it was really not much of a decision at all. Burgos (15-3) knew he needed to jump ship, because contracts like the one PFL put in front of him don’t come around often in this sport.
“I’m going to be making a stupid amount of money,” Burgos told MMA Junkie Radio. “The money was too good for me to pass up. I couldn’t say no to that money. I’ve got kids I’ve got to feed. The first time I did the free agency thing they gave me an offer, and it was a great offer the first time. In my head I was thinking, ‘I’m a UFC fighter.’ At the time I wasn’t a prize fighter. This time coming around, I’m a little bit older now. I’m 31 and I’m like, ‘I’m a prize fighter.’ That’s a prize.
“What I’m getting paid now. That’s a prize. Then on top of that you’ve got the million-dollar tournament, then on top of that you’ve got me doing the commentating gig, which is setting me up for when I’m done competing in the sport. It was a no-brainer when you laid out all the facts into a pros and cons chart.”
Burgos wouldn’t reveal the exact financial figures, but he said there’s “no way” the UFC could’ve matched the terms. He claims the UFC would’ve been forced to overhaul its entire pay structure if it wanted to retain his services, and he just knew that wasn’t realistic.
He spent 11 fights under the UFC banner, and is now prepared for the next chapter of his career. It won’t be long until he turns the page, either, because Burgos is scheduled to make his debut on the 2022 PFL Championships card on Nov. 25 in New York when he takes on fellow octagon veteran and new PFL signee Marlon Moraes.
Burgos admits the matchup came a bit out of left field, but he likes the booking and is ready to put on another thrilling fight.
“I was surprised at first but when when I thought about it I said, ‘It kind of makes sense because this is the first PFL pay-per-view,'” Burgos said. “They want to stack the card with these fights people want to see. Who doesn’t want to see this fight? It’s his first fight at this weight class and he’s a guy that is super dangerous, super explosive. Him versus me, it’s a no-brainer why they put that on the pay-per-view card like right before the co-main event. … It’s a fight you could run 1,000 times and it will never be boring.
