Bellator’s Myles Jury says “UFC are control freaks”

In 2019, Myles Jury migrated from the UFC’s Octagon to the Bellator cage. From the sounds of it, he made the right choice for himself.

Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Jury weighed in on the differences between the UFC and Bellator. The main difference, he says, is the level of control the two promotions have over their fighters.

“For Bellator, the main difference is control,” Jury said. “The UFC are control freaks. They like to control everything from what you wear to when you show up to fight week to how you basically present yourself. If you’re saying bad things, you’re going to get cut. Basically, they just love to control.

“For Bellator it’s a little more relaxed. They let you come in and do your own thing. They just want you to show up, go out there, and fight well. There’s no crazy fight week stuff. It’s just very more relaxed at Bellator. I like that, man, because I’m a fighter.”

Jury says he never enjoyed the experience of being controlled by the UFC—being told what to wear and how to act—and is enjoying the relative freedom of being a Bellator fighter.

“I’m a fighter,” Jury said. “I don’t work in an office. I don’t like people telling me what I need to wear, coming backstage telling me, ‘You’re doing this at this time.’ Basically, treat me like an employee, man. I’m a fighter. I’m the product. When I go out there and fight, I’m the man. I’m the one going out there doing it. I don’t care what the cameraman says or what time they think we need to be ready and all this. I don’t want to hear any of that. I’m a product. I’m the one going out there and putting on the show – me and my fellow fighters.”

Myles Jury has gone 1-1 in Bellator, losing his debut to former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson, and scoring a decision win over Brandon Girtz in his sophomore appearance.