Martin Buday improved his UFC record to 7-1 with a win over multi-time grappling champion Marcus Buchecha in his octagon debut, but he received the surprise of a lifetime when the promotion opted not to re-sign him to a new contract.
Instead, the 34-year-old heavyweight was removed from the roster while his opponent was kept under contract and lived to fight another day in the UFC. It was a curious decision, especially given the state of the UFC heavyweight division, but Buday didn’t erupt in a rage or bad mouth the promotion for not offering him a new contract.
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Instead, he took the high road.
“No [ill will], not at all,” Buday told MMA Fighting. “I just said in some interviews before, I thank the UFC for the opportunity to be part of the roster. I’m thankful that they made me the fighter that I am today. It was a nice journey in the UFC.
“No hatred. No bad blood with UFC. I understand, I had some role there and they were asking me to get some finishes, which I didn’t get. It was their decision. No bad blood at all.”
While he didn’t hold on to any anger towards the UFC for his exit, Buday definitely saw the outpouring of support he received after he was not re-signed.
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Buday acknowledges he didn’t necessarily put on the most exciting fights during his UFC tenure, but a 7-1 record is nonetheless impressive and people took notice when he was removed from the roster.
“It was very nice to be supported by the community, by journalists and fighters, also,” Buday said. “I was very happy with the support that I was getting. I was happy.”
As much as he understands the criticism around not delivering finishes as the UFC requested, Buday has always put the biggest emphasis on winning first and foremost.
“Wins matter most, definitely more than if I lost to Marcus,” Buday said. “But it’s the UFC, it’s a big business, big show and the fighters there need to be more entertaining in other ways or maybe outside the cage. It depends.
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“For me, winning was the most important thing. I would like to get some finishes in my fights and I was getting better from the fight. It probably wasn’t enough in my case.”
It didn’t take long for Buday to start receiving offers after his exit from the UFC, but ultimately he decided to return to his old stomping grounds at Oktagon MMA — a European based promotion where he previously served as heavyweight champion.
On Sunday, Buday competes for the first time since leaving the UFC when he faces Will Fleury in a heavyweight title fight headlining Oktagon 81. While other offers were presented to him, Buday felt like Oktagon was just the natural choice for his future.
“There were many, many offers,” Buday revealed. “Many, many promotions tried to sign me. I was deciding mainly between PFL and Oktagon MMA. Of course, Oktagon treated me well before and we know each other. I know many fighters from there. Many people from there. That was the reason too, I liked Oktagon.
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“PFL would be a good option also, a big promotion and good competition in the heavyweight division. But I think we will make big things in Oktagon.”
Reclaiming the Oktagon heavyweight title would put Buday on a four-fight win streak and he knows there are still plenty of challenges awaiting him.
Could that possibly lead to a return to the UFC in the future?
“It’s hard to say,” Buday admitted. “I’m very happy with my signing with Oktagon right now. I’m really excited what will be my future in Oktagon. I think we will do big things together and I will be really happy to be part of it, part of the growth of Oktagon. Part of the growth of heavyweight MMA in Oktagon.
“So it’s really hard to tell right now. But we will see. It depends on the offer, it depends on the circumstances but right now, I’m focusing on my path with Oktagon MMA and my future with them.”
