Show money from WSOF provides holiday relief for UFC vet Waylon Lowe

The UFC isn't the only promotion that pays out show money for displaced fighters.

Waylon Lowe (13-4) was a week away from his first fight in five months when he got word his opponent had withdrawn. A replacement couldn't be found.

The promoter's rep could only apologize when Lowe complained he was already out money, and at a terrible time with the holidays approaching. About an hour later, the rep called back.

World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo had decided Lowe would get his show money for the fight, which was scheduled against Fabio Mello at WSOF 1 on Nov. 3.

Now, Lowe told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he can put in more training for his WSOF debut, which he expects to take place in February.

"Because they gave me that money, I really want to please them and put on a really good fight," Lowe said.

Since roster cuts forced his exit from the UFC in 2011, Lowe, a two-time NCAA Division II wrestling champ, has struggled to stay afloat as a fighter with a family.

The 32-year-old Tennessee native and father of a 2-year-old daughter moved to Philadelphia three years ago to work in the fitness industry and coach wrestling at the University of Pennsylvania. He quit those jobs when the UFC came calling. When UFC matchmaker Joe Silva told him the promotion's merger with the WEC had created an unsustainable glut of lightweights, he took a job loading warehouses.

Lowe worked lots of overtime to make ends meet. If he missed the train back to Philadelphia at the end of the day, he slept at the warehouse.

He hasn't owned a car in five years. He said he didn't much train before or after his cut from the UFC.

"I pray a lot," he said. "I don't know how I get through it."

Still, Lowe stopped his opponent when he returned to the cage eight months later. Then he stopped his next two by strikes. A wrestler by trade, Lowe went 2-2 inside the octagon at 155 pounds. At featherweight, he was a different fighter.

"I think he was too small for 155, but now he's in the right weight class," said WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz. "We're looking forward to having him. I think he's going to do very well."

Lowe's proposed opponent, Mello, is expected to compete at his natural bantamweight class, so a matchup has yet to materialize for February.

Lowe is back in the gym now, training with ex-UFC champ Frankie Edgar and ex-Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez, among others. He has a regular ride that picks him up from the train station in New Jersey. He rides his bike to boxing gyms around Philly.

For now, the environment is right to pursue an MMA career the right way.

"They don't understand how much the money helps me out," Lowe said. "Right when I'm at my breaking point, boom, something comes up. It was a blessing that wasn't expected."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/31729/show-money-from-wsof-provides-holiday-relief-for-ufc-vet-waylon-lowe.mma