Why did Shane Burgos leave the UFC?

Shane Burgos at UFC 244 Tavares v Shahbazyan
Shane Burgos at UFC 244 Tavares v Shahbazyan

Shane Burgos recently announced that he will no longer be fighting under the UFC banner, having instead transitioned his career to the PFL.

Burgos seemingly received an offer that he couldn't refuse from the PFL, which was mentioned during an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. The offer was also not matched by the UFC.

While speaking with Helwani, Burgos mentioned that he is currently raising two daughters and believes that the PFL deal can help secure his family's future once he retires from professional MMA:

"It was an offer I couldn’t turn it up. I’ve got two daughters. I’ve got to go back home, I’ve got to look at them in the face and be like, 'It was worth it' when it’s all said and done in this sport. With this deal, I feel like that'll secure that."

Catch Burgos' appearance on The MMA Hour below:

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Shane Burgos didn't state exactly how much the PFL deal will make him each fight, but the now-former UFC fighter stated that he will be a very rich man after his first season in the organization:

"When it’s all said and done, after the first season, obviously I plan on winning, I’ll be a multi-millionaire."

In his second-most recent UFC pay-per-view card appearance, Burgos made $156,000 in total when losing against Edson Barboza at UFC 262. The American made a base salary of $75,000 for that fight and took home a bonus of $75,000, along with sponsorship money, according to MMASalaries.com.


What was Shane Burgos' UFC record?

Burgos joined the UFC back in 2016 and got off to a good start, beating Tiago Trator on his debut at UFC Fight Night 102: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov. 'Hurricane' had a very good UFC record, with eight wins and three losses in 11 bouts in the organization.

During his time on MMA's biggest stage, Burgos faced the likes of Calvin Kattar, Cub Swanson, Josh Emmett and Barboza. The American never managed to get a UFC title shot, but enjoyed his most notable win in 2019 against Cub Swanson.

'Hurricane' beat Swanson via split decision and went on to make it three wins in a row against Makwan Amirkhani in his next bout. However, the 31-year-old then lost back-to-back bouts against Emmett and Barboza.

The former UFC fighter managed to leave the organization on a positive note, beating Billy Quarantillo and Charles Jourdain in his last two bouts.

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