UFC veteran Chris Camozzi (27-15) admits that he was a bit nervous about what might come next after leaving the promotion in 2019. He’d already fought the best in the world, all over the globe, since 2006, and was grateful that offers came in right away but was worried when the initial figures came in.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Camozzi admitted to The Underground. “There’s always fear of the unknown, right?
“My contract was up with the UFC. I got some offers in the beginning where I was like, ‘What? I’ll retire. I’m not going to fight for that anymore.’ It was cool that they offered me fights within a few days, but the money was extremely low. That’s not to discredit them. They’re trying to build, and who knows, maybe there’s guys in my position who’d jump on it.”
The Colorado fighter wasn’t interesting in acting out of desperation, however. Camozzi says he’s long past fighting to pad his own ego. He’s a pro fighter, and so he tries to act like a professional.
“For me, the point I’m at in my career, it’s about money. I’m able to do this full-time and I’ve been able to for … more than 10 years,” he explains. “It’s not about notoriety for me. It’s about being able to have a career, support myself, and do something I enjoy. … This is my job, so I treat it like a job.
“So, for me, I’ve got to go where the money goes. I was in the UFC. I fought on pay-per-views. I’ve fought on live TV. I fought on FOX and things like that, so those were bucket list types of things, so after that, it’s just about the money. I don’t care if no one watches but someone wants to give me $1 million. I’ll fight in the parking lot.”
By being willing to walk away from deals that didn’t work for him, Camozzi eventually found ones that did. In fact, he became a two-sport athlete, signing with and fighting for both GLORY Kickboxing, and the PFL.
Though he didn’t end up taking more fights with GLORY since signing with the PFL, Camozzi and his management team negotiated an important contract in an industry typically marked by one-sided exclusivity that favors promotions and restricts fighters. Camozzi got the PFL to agree to put it in his contract that he was allowed to compete both for them and with GLORY.
“It’s two different sports,” Camozzi said. “You guys signed me to MMA. This is kickboxing. Your records aren’t even the same. It was a little go back and forth at first with PFL, but they understood that it is another sport, and that I wouldn’t compete in kickboxing during the season of PFL.”
Things worked out well for Camozzi when he tested out free-agency after the UFC. He moved up a weight class while still managing to get leaner and in better shape, became a partner at a new gym and ended his PFL run on a two-fight winning streak.
“Life’s been good, man,” he said. “I’m lucky, I’m fortunate.:
With his PFL run concluded, Camozzi is in the process of testing the free-agent market once again. Being taken care of financially is paramount for him, but so is having fun.
After all, Camozzi treats fighting like a job, but it is a job he loves with everything he’s got. As such, he says he’s open to fighting wherever seems like the most fun, whatever the rules, whether they be MMA, kickboxing, or boxing.
“I’ve got a few years left, you know, so I might as well have fun with it and make that money but also create memories,” he said. “When I’m old, I want to be able to sit down and be happy with what I’ve done. So, we’ll see what the future holds.”
One project Camozzi already has on his plate as he weighs his competition options is a training app called Jiu-Jitsu On The Go, started by his jiu-jitsu coach, with whom the 35-year-old recently became a partner.
The Jiu-Jitsu On The Go app has a large and growing video library of seminars and instructional lessons given by experts in everything from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, to kickboxing, to wrestling, and even firearms. It also includes interviews with stand-out athletes and legendary coaches like Fabio Santos.
Camozzi says the app is useful for beginners, as well as seasoned masters of their art.
“We’re also going to go backwards and film all the fundamentals,” he said. “Maybe you’re uncomfortable going to a gym your first day without ever having done anything. Our app can help you go from day one to (being a black belt who uses it).
“You know, you’ve been in jiu-jitsu a long time, just because you’re a black belt doesn’t mean you know everything. Most black belts that are great learn from each other and other people. So, it’s not like you stop learning when you get your black belt.”
Camozzi seems to have an honest and clear understanding of how to direct the rest of his competitive career, as well as where he’d like to take his life once he’s done fighting. Teaching and spreading technical knowledge seems to be something that he wants to do for the rest of his life, come what may.
“This is where I’m trying to take my life after,” he concludes, discussing his training app. “I want to stay in the sport when I’m done fighting, and I want to teach and I want to help other people because I don’t honestly know what I’d be doing with my life right now if I didn’t get into MMA. This sport has given me everything in my life. I’ve been able to travel and see the world. I’ve learned so much about business. I’ve been able to run my own businesses because of it. It’s all from fighting and learning.”
Check out the full interview with Camozzi in the video above.
