LAS VEGAS – Bryan Caraway is looking for a new home but in a major promotion.
Currently a free agent, Caraway (22-9) departed the UFC in 2018 after losing two in a row to Cody Stamann and Pedro Munhoz. Caraway then competed for South Korean-based promotion, Battlefield Fighting Championship last July, defeating Raja Shippen via unanimous decision.
However, Caraway said he never was paid his purse, joining UFC veterans Will Brooks and Gleison Tibau, who also competed on the card and never received any pay. He was then scheduled to face Marcos Breno at new Afro-French promotion ARES FC last December but was forced out due to injury.
Now healthy, WEC and UFC veteran Caraway, hopes to get the opportunity to sign with a major promotion, as he still views himself as an elite fighter.
He just needs the right stage to prove it.
“We’re looking to sign with a good promotion,” Caraway told MMA Junkie. “When I left the UFC, I was still top 15 in the world under their banner and just previously before that, I was like top 10 in the world for a long time, like almost four years. I still feel like I’m one of the top fighters in the world. I feel at 135 or 145, so I’m just looking for somebody out there to sign me.
“Any of the big companies, I’d love to fight for Bellator, ONE FC, Rizin, ACA, any of the promotions, PFL at 145, any of those promotions. I fight at 145, 135, wherever, man, I just want to fight top-level guys and get treated like a professional where I know I’m going to get paid.”
Caraway spent almost seven years with the UFC, starting his tenure on “The Ultimate Fighter.” He compiled a record of 6-4, with notable wins over Aljamain Sterling, Eddie Wineland and Mitch Gagnon.
“I still feel like I’m a legitimate threat in the world in MMA, and I’m just waiting for a company out there to sign me,” Caraway said. “I have almost 50 MMA fights, I’ve been around for a long time, and I can mix it up with the best. Grappling, striking, whatever. Just give me a chance.”
To hear more from Caraway, watch the video above.
Off Guard: Bryan Caraway hopes to sign with big MMA promotion, still feels like 'legitimate threat'
