Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz joins First Round Management’s extensive talent pool alongside former defending champions Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal. But as he told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s MMA Hour, he’s the one who conducts the conversation with the UFC when negotiating a contract.
“I’m not necessarily self-managing, I’m just representing myself. That’s the best way to put it. I communicate for myself,” he said.
For The Dominator, who has been in the game for 17 years, the role of manager technically ends after contract negotiations. He says he sees no point in paying for representation based on the length of the contract.
He echoed an opinion similar to Sean O’Malley’s about managers.
“I think in the UFC we signed a six-fight contract, right? Four-fight contract, usually lowest. So why would I pay someone for four fights when it’s scheduled after one?” he said.
“A manager really only has one call and gets paid for four fights. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Prior to 2015, when the Reebok deal went through, fighters could earn extra from their respective apparel sponsorships. Now that that’s off the table, Cruz sees no point in paying a manager to help set up some connections with the UFC.
“And beyond that, how are they supposed to get me sponsorships with a manager when the UFC dictates the sponsorships? So now the UFC dictates the sponsors and the UFC dictates the contract,” he explained.
“What does a manager actually do? They just talk and create the communication. And in my experience, managers are good at making it seem like they have all the connections. But in the UFC you can get connections? The UFC makes the decisions for you.
“Now if you’re in Bellator, if you’re in PFL, if you’re in one of those other organizations, it makes perfect sense to me for a fighter to have representation because sponsors can be brought in, they can build relationships elsewhere. They can have a roster of 10 fighters, and because a manager has a roster of 10 fighters, sponsors could come right up to them and say, ‘Hey, do you have someone?'”
Cruz says he’s developed a good working relationship with UFC executives and believes his fellow fighters can do the same if they do one thing.
“I have a good relationship with Sean Shelby in terms of communication. If he wants to talk to me, he can contact me. And I think a lot of us fighters can do that with Sean Shelby whenever we want.
“I renegotiate my contract when I’m within a fight or two, generally at the end. I try when the UFC is open to it. And they were always willing to work with me. I just don’t talk like an idiot.
“It’s really easy if you just talk to Hunter, talk to Sean Shelby,” Cruz continued. “They are very open to listening to you if they can have the conversation from a neutral place. It’s when you address them all crazy, “I deserve this, I deserve that…” You just have to come from a neutral place.
“Nobody deserves anything. You deserve everything you get in this sport. They have to understand that they are running a business.”
Cruz (24-3), 36, will be looking to extend his two-fight win streak when he takes on Marlon Vera at the upcoming UFC card in San Diego on August 13.