Matt Wiman: ‘Dealing with sponsors is like dealing with drug dealers’

At UFC Fight Night 57 this past weekend, Matt Wiman made his return to the Octagon against Issac Vallie-Flagg, whom he defeated via unanimous decision.

Wiman looks exceptional in the bout, especially given that he had been away from the Octagon for two years. Many fans took note however of Wiman’s lack of sponsors on his shorts, and no fight-banner, which ordinarily hangs behind fighters during the introductions.

Wiman spoke on The MMA Hour to discuss why he didn’t have sponsors for the bout.

“I think if it was a good opportunity, I’m not opposed to it. The opportunities that are on hand, I might have been able to make like $1,500 if I hustled a bit, you know, maybe a couple of grand if I hustled a bit. It’s not necessarily worth it. I compare it to this, it’s going to be kind of a crude analogy, but I’ve heard and I was never a pot head or anything like that. But, I’ve heard that the worst part about taking drugs was dealing with drug dealers. I think that the worst part about sponsors is the people around them; sleazy wannabe managers. And people that represent this or try to have a connection there, it’s pretty obnoxious. So I try to kind of ignore that part. It just seems more trouble than it’s worth.”