"Most of these guys are more interested in being TV stars than being fighters. Unfortunately, it's affecting the game; affecting the sportÂ… These guys want to be movie stars and TV stars right out of the shoot. They don't want to earn anything. They want it right out of the gate. It takes time. Nobody is patient anymore. Everybody wants everything right now," stated UFC legend Don Frye as he talked about how the UFC has changed since the days when he was still fighting for them. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going Don?
DF: Good. Me and the ol' lady just sitting here.
PC: Are you planning on fighting this year or taking a break? What's your situation right now?
DF: Ah hell, nobody's calling me and I ain't calling nobody.
PC: Do you still train or have you taken a step back from the gym as well?
DF: I took the year off. Last year, my dad died February 9th and I just ended up getting drunk for the rest of the year. I'm just getting my head out of my ass to be alive with the people.
PC: When I see guys like you, Randy Couture, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman still competing, it amazes me because I was watching you guys when I was a kid. What's the key to longevity in this sport?
DF: Oh hell, I don't know. We don't have enough sense to lay down. We're already dead, we're just not smart enough to lay down, you know? We're too greedy to quit. We gotta pay our bills and the next round of drinks.
PC: (Laughing) You were successful in the UFC when guys were fighting 3 or 4 times a night. Do you think some of the guys in the UFC now could make it under those rules?
DF: I don't know. There are a couple of fighters that can. Silva can for sure. Anderson Silva is a hell of an athlete. St. Pierre probably could do it, but it's just not a lot of guys out there. Most of these guys are more interested in being TV stars than being fighters. Unfortunately, it's affecting the game; affecting the sport.
PC: What do you think is the biggest difference in the UFC now opposed to when you were still fighting there?
DF: Hell, we were just there to show up, drink some beer, get into a fight, drink a little bit more beer, make some money and go back to work if we had to. These guys want to be movie stars and TV stars right out of the shoot. They don't want to earn anything. They want it right out of the gate. It takes time. Nobody is patient anymore. Everybody wants everything right now.
PC: You've fought in both Japan and the US. Where did you prefer to fight out of the two?
DF: I liked fighting in Japan because the promoters treat you like professional athletes. That's the bottom line. They treat you with respect, dignity and they don't lie to you. Hell, some of them lie to you, but not as bad as in the US (laughing).
PC: You can't expect them to be honest all of the time, Don.
DF: Nah, promoters are born liars. You gotta treat your fighters with dignity and respect, otherwise, they're all going to walk on you one day and you will be sitting there trying to promote a fight with just yourself.
PC: Does it bother you when you see fans say, "The UFC wouldn't be where it is today if it wasn't for Dana White!"
DF: Yeah! I mean, Dana White made it with someone else's money. He hasn't done nothing for the sport but lower the standards, the quality of the sport and yell and scream and cuss at people. You get what you pay for and when you're paying your fighters 2 or 3 thousand dollars, you're going to get a 2 or 3 thousand dollar fight. You look at the PPV buys and guys on the undercard make $2,000. The money is going somewhere. That's why it's usually only one good fight on the card; maybe 2 if you're lucky. The other 8-10 fights are garbage.
PC: With the exception of a couple of guys, a lot of Pride guys never seemed to get comfortable inside of the Octagon. Do you think it's because of the cage or fighting in the States or what?
DF: I don't think those 2 things had anything to do with it. I think it's the way the promoters are treating the fighters. The Japanese treated you like you were a professional and like you were a commodity. They make you feel like you are necessary for the show and without the fighters, the event will not go. Over here, they don't get that type of treatment. They get treated like, "You bastards are lucky to be here and if you don't want to be here, we'll get somebody else to be on TV for free."
PC: Are you cool with Ken Shamrock now?
DF: Well, we don't send each other Christmas cards. We wont be at the little league ball games together, but we're not going to drive across town to run each other over with the car either.
PC: Is there any fighter out there that you always wanted to fight, but never had the opportunity to?
DF: I would like to fight Randy, but it's not something that I'm going to lose sleep over. I'd like to fight Coleman again. I'd fight that big Brit James Thompson again and that piece of crap McCall; I would like to beat his ass.
PC: Is there any fighter you watch today that reminds you of yourself a little bit?
DF: No, I think they're all too smart to fight like me. I don't want nobody to fight like me. They should be smart and avoid the punches.
PC: You were honest as always. It was an honor to speak to you my man. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
DF: Ah hell partner, send money!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]