OK, so maybe Conor McGregor wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed for a chance to win $1 million, but he’s definitely among the very few who could take that stance in MMA.

For lightweight Ramsey Nijem, the PFL’s promise of $1 million payouts for 2018 season champions proved impossible to resist. But Nijem believes that while the cash is a huge opportunity for the fighters participant in the promotion’s inaugural season, it’s the season, itself, that will prove the hook for fans.

“That’s definitely life-changing money for almost anybody out there,” Nijem told MMAjunkie Radio. “You’re debt-free if you’re smart and stuff like that, so it’s super-exciting. I think the exciting part, necessarily, is just the format of everything with the grand prize. The title is awesome and stuff, but at the end of the day, what is a title supposed to represent? You’re getting paid. You’re the champ. You’re living a good life. But if it’s not reflecting that, who cares if you’re fighting two extra rounds for a title, so that’s kind of why I’m super excited.

“Super simple format. Super easy to follow. I have a lot of friends who are not necessarily fight fans, but they’re sports fans, that are excited for it because now they understand. They don’t have to follow it every weekend to know who the champ is.”

PFL held its debut event earlier this month. On Thursday PFL 2 takes place at Chicago Theater, with eight fights streaming on Facebook before five, including Nijem (9-6) vs. Brian Foster (27-10), air on NBCSN.

Nijem said he’s appreciative of the opportunity to face another proven commodity in Foster and believes it shows the promotions’ commitment to providing quality matchups not just once the 2018 playoffs begin but also during PFL’s unique regular season, as well.

“I’m actually pretty excited,” Nijem said. “I think Ray Sefo did a great job matchmaking everybody to have great matchups for the first round. The season isn’t just like, ‘Hey, let’s see who’s going to get the best seeding.’ The best guys are going against each other to see who actually is the No. 1 seed, and I’m pretty excited because I feel that’s where me and Brian are. We’re both in the same situation. We both have an opportunity to be a winner of this tournament, so they’re kind of seeing who deserves the better seed.”

At first glance, Nijem would appear to be coming in at a disadvantage, not having officially fought since July 2015. But Nijem did compete in a pair of exhibition bouts in 2017 on “The Ultimate Fighter 25” and believes his brief time away from competition was necessary for him to improve as fighter.

“I choose to be a fighter every day I wake up,” Nijem said. “So yeah, I’ve had a little bit of a hiatus, but that doesn’t mean that every day I haven’t been at the gym, getting better.

“Last couple of years, I’ve actually had fun training. I’ve gotten in better shape. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m lighter than I’ve ever been. … Everything is going really, really well, and I’m just super, super excited getting out there and showing what I’ve been able to accomplish in the last couple of years.”

And perhaps cashing a pretty impressive check, as well.

To hear more from Nijem, check out the video above.

And for more on PFL 2, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.