Myles Jury: ‘Corporate’ UFC are ‘control freaks,’ Bellator is ‘a little more relaxed’

As a 12-year MMA veteran, Myles Jury has fought under different organizations. He held a seven-year stint with the UFC before signing with Bellator in 2019.

With less than a year with his new employers, the 31-year-old Jury was already able to draw comparisons between Bellator and the UFC. He basically made it clear which one of the two he prefers better, in terms of fighter treatment.

“For Bellator, the main difference is control,” Jury told MMA Junkie. “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.”

What he didn’t like with the UFC was the “corporate feel,” unlike in Bellator, which he compared to a modest mom-and-pop establishment.

“I’m a fighter. I don’t work in an office,” Jury said. “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.

“Sometimes with the UFC, it’s so big,” he continued. “It’s such a corporate feel, like if you go to a restaurant or something. You’ve got the mom-and-pop restaurant and you’ve got the big corporation restaurants.

“I feel like that’s Bellator. Bellator is the strong mom-and-pop shop that comes from a good place. They let you be yourself a little bit more.”

Jury (18-5, with 13 wins by stoppage) is currently 1-1 in Bellator. He last saw action in February against Brandon Gritz and won by unanimous decision.