Michael McDonald hasn't competed inside the Octagon since December 2013, when Urijah Faber dominated and finished him in the 2nd round of the UFC on FOX 9 co-main event. Injuries have set him back, but now he's cleared for competition and will likely make his return in early 2016. But there's also more to McDonald's absence than just his health. The 24-year-old McDonald, known was one of the heaviest hitters in the bantamweight division, nearly quit the sport altogether, not because of his health, but because of his lack of passion for the sport, as he revealed to ESPN's Brett Okamoto:

"I'd say things started to get complicated after the Miguel Torres fight," McDonald said. "Money was something I've never wanted to focus on, but when I look around and see people who I'm beating making a lot more than me, I started to feel angry and resentful. "I knocked out Torres and I barely made any money. That's when that frustration started and it just makes you not enjoy your job. You feel underappreciated and cheated. You don't want to go out and fight the best fighters in the world, then go home and wonder if you can pay your bills. You start to say, 'Something's not right now. I'm angry.'"

McDonald has won 4 post-fight bonuses in the UFC, but his fight purses never grew to the levels of the bigger names and more prominent contenders in the sport. For his loss to Faber, his show purse was $17,000 compared to Faber's $200,000. The KO win vs. Torres netted him no post-fight bonus and just the standard $8,000/$8,000 show/win minimum. In February 2013, McDonald lost to Renan Barao for the interim BW title, but he says the UFC "took care of him" as far as money was concerned.

Despite all of that, "Mayday" says he was a "victim of his own success" and doesn't think he was mistreated by the UFC. However, with the new Reebok deal in place, McDonald has adjusted accordingly by having his former Tachi Palace Fights matchmaker handle individual bout negotiations. Along with that, he indicated that contractually guaranteed money may be a sticking point for whether or not he accepts future UFC fights:

"It's a problem I made by not getting paid well and fighting the best in the world. It's a difficult situation but I think we're going to get through it. There's no way I'm going to fight top guys for the pay I'm getting, especially when they're getting so much more than me. "I don't think it's as cut and dry as, 'Oh, I'm not fighting this guy.' I'm not looking for easy fights. One thing I see now is that if you're talking to a businessman and you ask for something reasonable, usually they'll be like, 'OK, let's work something out.' If the UFC wants me to fight these great guys like Faber, it's not like I'm looking to play hardball. But yeah, I wouldn't want to fight him with the pay I'm getting now. So, maybe it turns into a contract renegotiation. Maybe it's, 'Let's hold off and not take this fight right now.' Maybe it's, 'Well, can we get a little more guaranteed money for this fight but keep the same contract?" I don't know what it's exactly going to be, but I have to be taken care of."

As of now, McDonald doesn't have a fight booked and nothing is even rumored, at this point.