In fact, according to the former 170-pound kingpin, had it not been for White's new job offer and the follow up conversations, he would still be looking to secure his next fight inside the Octagon.

MMA Fighting has the word:

"(It's) A trying day for me. I knew the retirement was coming, but as a competitor, you hate hanging the gloves up. So, not real happy about it, but the way it is, everybody's gonna grow older and I'm just excited to still be a part of the UFC and going to fill this role of Athletic and Government relations. Dana has always been, sometimes he's the boss, sometimes he's a brother and sometimes he's a dad. He came to me, with my wife, and said, ‘Hey, you don't need to compete anymore. I've got a position for you, we've been looking to fill it. You fit the role perfectly.' In the end, he's right, he's right. When you lose the last two like I did, where I think if the fight would have went all 15 minutes I would have won both of them, he's right. I'm just glad I've got a position here to keep me in the sport. If he hadn't said that, I would have already had (another) fight under my belt."

The former NCAA All-American wrestler intends to take his new role seriously, vowing to do it the only way he knows how even if UFC executives aren't in complete agreement. After all, he was never anyone's "puppet" and doesn't intend to become one anytime in the future.

He explains:

"Whenever they put a mic in my face, I always said and did what I wanted. I never was anybody's puppet. So, I'm going to do what I think is right and they want me to do what's right. They want to understand what's going on in a fighters mind sometimes. So, yes, I'm going to draw a paycheck from the UFC, but I'm there to give my perspective on whatever it is that arises. I don't think they have to worry about me siding with them and I don't think the fighters have to worry about that either. I'm going to do what I think is right."

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