Kalib Starnes released the following official statement regarding his release from the UFC and his now infamous performance against Nate Quarry at UFC 83:

"I would like to begin by saying that I was very happy to fight in Montreal, and that I trained really hard for my fight. I know that there were many people, including myself, who were disappointed with my performance, and I would like to apologize to my coaches, trainers and the fans for what happened. It was by far the worst fight of my career, much to the credit of my opponent, who proved to be a real monster in the ring. I think that they should keep him in a cave somewhere and feed him raw meat!

"During the fight, I received a broken bone in my right foot, and I find out tomorrow if I need to have surgery and get a pin put through it so that it will heal properly. I also have severe bruising on my left thigh, lumps on my head, a fat black eye, a sprained jaw and damage to the nerves in my molars.

"My injuries weren't enough to satisfy [UFC president] Dana White, who made comments after the fight insinuating that I would have been better served allowing myself to be knocked out, comments which prompted me to ask to be released from my contract.

"Those commenting on my performance and wondering why I asked to be released from my contract, a contract which [the UFC] had repeatedly refused to renegotiate, should keep in mind how fighters are compensated by the UFC.

"In my last fight [before UFC 83], for example, I was coming off a win against one of the UFC's top middleweights, Chris Leben. I trained for over three months for the fight, with all expenses coming out of my own pocket -- food, travel, accomodations, supplements, equipment, coaching and cornermen. The athletic commission requires a pre-fight medical exam, blood tests, eye exam and often an EKG, ECG, MRA/ MRI, or CT scan. All of these expenses are mandatory and are incurred by the athlete.

"I was then injured in the bout and received a huge gash on my forehead, which caused the doctor to halt the bout prematurely. The cut became infected, and I spent about two and a half months recovering, during which time I was unable to work or generate any income. The UFC, a company which earned hundreds of millions of dollars that year, paid me less than $5,000.

"You should also keep in mind that I was fighting for the sixth time for the organization and my second time on live PPV, on an event which generated tens of millions of dollars. In short, I paid somewhere between $20,000 to $30,000 for the privilege of having my head split open.