‘I Don’t Know What PFL’s Problem Was’

“I don’t know what the problem was to get me fights. I don’t have an answer for you for that.”

Fighters want to fight.

Ray Cooper III makes his first appearance of 2023 this month at the 2023 PFL Championship in a Middleweight showcase bout against former UFC 185-pound staple, Derek Brunson on Nov. 25, 2023. However, it wasn’t Cooper’s choice to fight once this year; in fact, he was trying to fight sooner, but his promotion wouldn’t get him match ups.

“So, they didn’t give me any fights this season,” Cooper told MMA Mania. “I moved up to 185 — they don’t have a [Middleweight] season tournament anymore. I don’t know what their problem was with getting me fights. So, yeah, I’m just happy to be back and happy to be fighting again. It was disappointing to be sitting out. I don’t know what the problem was to get me fights. I don’t have an answer for you for that.”

Of course, being on the sidelines and unable to do your job would cause some uncertainty, and it did. Cooper revealed his relationship with PFL was crumbling and that moving to another promotion was something he was thinking about.

“[Checking out other options] was a lot of it,” Cooper said. “But, yeah, just things that we weren’t seeing eye to eye on, and yeah, I have nothing else to say about that. I just really, really don’t care about that anymore. I just want to fight already.”

The 30-year-old two-time PFL Welterweight champion feels like he has done everything he can do inside of the promotion, and if an opportunity to fight in another promotion comes up, he wants to challenge himself.

“We’ll see. You can say things all you want, and then these things just fall out, and things happen,” Cooper said. “I really want to test myself against everybody. But as of now, whatever comes my way, I’m gonna be ready and ready to fight. I’ve just been out for a while and am really itching at the bit to just get it going. So whatever happens after this fight, I’m ready for it.”

Cooper is coming off a first-round knockout of Brett Cooper at PFL 6 in July 2022. He welcomes Brunson to the PFL from inside The Anthem in Washington D.C., streaming LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV).

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