Ian McCall: 'This job is killing us -- but I signed up for it'
Ian McCall might be the most unabashedly honest fighter on the entire UFC roster.
Considering the trials and tribulations he's lived through already, stepping inside a cage and fighting another man until one of them falls over might actually seem pedestrian to the 30-year-old from California.
McCall flocks to controversial issues that some other fighters may go out of their way to avoid. For instance, this weekend McCall's fight with John Lineker may very well determine the No. 1 contender in the flyweight division, but it's barely been a blip on the radar of anyone outside of the hardcore circles who follow MMA.
Despite top five rankings for both fighters, until a recent injury forced the main event to change, the flyweights weren't even the co-main event on the card. Don't think McCall didn't notice.
"I know we don't get credit and we don't get the love, but this is a No. 1 contender's fight. This is kind of a big deal. This is No. 3 versus No. 4 and to get the least amount of respect we're getting. Shockingly, we're co-main event now 'cause someone had to get hurt. It's a slap in the face," McCall told FOX Sports. "It's just me complaining and I've got to shut up and do my job."
McCall has no problem pointing the finger at why his fight with Lineker wasn't getting the co-main event love before the injury switch happened. It's the division they're fighting in and the lack of interest casual fans have in the flyweights since debuting in the UFC in 2012.
He's gone as far as to say "no one gives a s--t about the flyweights," which surely ruffled more than a few feathers. McCall doesn't want to point fingers, but he also can't deny that the problem for the flyweights starts right at the top of the division.
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is the only 125-pound title-holder the division has ever known, and he's routinely ranked as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Unfortunately, Johnson is also well-known for not enjoying the media circuits that go along with title fights, nor will he ever engage much with trash talk from opponents.
The results have been lackluster showings in terms of ratings and pay-per-view buys when Johnson headlines a show. The trickle-down effect then lands on all the other flyweights in the division. McCall hopes to remedy that very soon.
"It will be better off once I'm champion. Of course. As an athlete, Demetrious is pretty much flawless, and the only problem he's had is me, and I'll fix all that in a few months after I beat John and I get a title shot. If I have to go through somebody else I'll do it. But yeah, it is kind of his fault," McCall said.
"This is the entertainment business, and he's not entertaining as a person. He's a great fighter and such a nice guy. It sucks that we have to blame him because he's doing his job. He's beating everybody and he's beating everybody pretty handily. He's doing everything he needs to do on that side of it, but everything else he's dropping the ball."
McCall revels in the spotlight and has no problem promoting himself or the opponents he's about to fight. He recently got into a Twitter war with Lineker, which got the two fighters a lot of attention. He also knows as the English-speaking fighter in this bout, McCall will probably do the lion's share of media until he gets to Brazil.
McCall says bring it on because life out of the limelight is much worse.
"It could be worse. I could have an office job and want to kill myself. It could be a lot worse," McCall said. "This job is killing us. Realistically, this job is ruining the one vehicle we have -- our bodies and our brains. It's killing me. It's killing all of us, but I signed up for it. Just like all these football players. They want to make all these cheesy rules -- you can't hit guys, they can't hit each other as hard. You signed up for this.
"John Lineker could kill me and I have no problem with that. I could kill him and I have no f--king problem with that either. It's part of the sport. All of the suffering we put in, the training and everywhere else at home, I don't get to see my kid as much, the diet, I have to eat vegan food all week and it sucks. It's not fun. But I do what I love and I get underpaid for it, but I still get paid. It could be worse. I could have a 9 to 5."
It may seem brash and it may seem harsh, but that's just Ian McCall.
He's unapologetic. He's outspoken. And he might be the face the flyweight division so desperately needs right now.
"I love it. It's a big reason why I'm in this, for attention. I'm an attention w---e. That's part of my personality. I'll take it in stride. I'll carry that weight. I don't mind. Because if you're smart about it, you can turn it into money," McCall said.
"That's a big reason why I'm in this. I've got mouths to feed. I've got to take care of myself and my daughter and hopefully one day marry my girlfriend. The things you want to do. If I have to talk a little s--t to do it, then that's fine."
