UFC veteran Ian McCall is set to make his Rizin debut on Dec. 29 when he faces Manel Kape in the bantamweight Rizin World Grand Prix. 

Ahead of the event, McCall sat down for Media Day and discussed the long journey to this point in his career. 

While he has competed on the biggest stage in mixed martial arts, McCall couldn’t be happier to be free of the UFC and fighting for his new promotion in Japan. 

For McCall, the opportunity to compete in the Grand Prix allows him to potentially pave a new path for young fighters that could leave his legacy in a place he wants it to be. 

“I looked at myself and I said you know, I’m not getting any younger and we’re not treated fairly in the UFC,” McCall said. “I don’t mean to bad mouth the UFC, because they always treated me well. But now, the only people I know in the company are Sean Shelby and Dana White; nobody else. Everyone else is gone, so I don’t care. 

“They don’t treat people fair. They don’t pay people fair. If I could lead the way - become a star out here, win this GP and all these things - and open a door for the younger fighters who I care about or just any young fighter that doesn’t want to take that route. One that sees RIZIN as an opportunity and then sees when Rizin grows and gets a big U.S. TV deal and sponsors like PRIDE used to have. That’s an opportunity that makes me happy and it will cement my legacy. Right now, my legacy is not what it should be.”

McCall is also looking for a fresh start in Japan. 

“Uncle Creepy” feels like he was never able to be himself in the UFC and people focused on his draw with flyweight king Demetious Johnson. But he is ready to move on and feels like Rizin is the perfect place for the next chapter in his career. 

“I have one moment which I call the Al Bundy moment; four touchdowns, one night, Polk High. It’s a joke,” McCall said. “Everyone talks about my fight with Demetrious Johnson. Who cares? We fought four months later and he beat me fair and square. That first fight means nothing to me. My UFC career was garbage, because it was stress, my life was in turmoil and all bad chi. 

“Frank Shamrock says ‘All bad chi. Now you’re in Japan? All good chi.’ I’m all smiles, I walk around, everyone’s nice and smiles. I feel good. I haven’t been happy to fight or excited to fight in years, honestly. It’s been years. The whole time I was in the UFC I was under the thumb of tyranny. I’m just happy to be here.”

If McCall is victorious over the 8-1 Kape, he will advance to the bantamweight World Grand Prix semifinals on Dec. 31 where he will face the winner of winner of Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Gabriel Oliviera. The winner of that bout will then fight again in the finals later that night.