While Nick Ring (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is undoubtedly hoping to secure the vaunted "six-figure contract" up for grabs in "The Ultimate Fighter 11," the undefeated Canadian fighter doesn't need it to survive.

For ring, fighting is about the purity in competition. The financial reward is just an added bonus.

"I can't hold down a real job," Ring told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I am lazy. Well, I'm lazy, but I'm kind of smart, too.

"I was going to school, and I was living at home, and I'd take these fights and save my fight money – which wasn't very much. I'd get paid anywhere from $500 to $2,000. I'd save all my fight money, and I'd save as much money as I possibly could, and I bought this house. It had three bedrooms upstairs and three bedrooms downstairs and a double garage. I turned it into a boarding house. I rent out all the bedrooms and the garage. That's how I get by. I run this boarding house, so I've got rent money coming in. I can just focus on training. I actually just bought another one."

With his income secured through the property investment, Ring has been able to focus solely on his fighting career. The Calgary resident started in kickboxing and dabbled in boxing, but he found his true passion lied with MMA.

"I started off kickboxing, and I had close to 30 fights just doing that," Ring said. "Eventually, what I liked about MMA versus kickboxing – and I love kickboxing – it was just the whole ground grappling aspect.

"I like the purity of an MMA fight. The fight goes everywhere. You have to have well-rounded skills – wrestling skills, grappling skills, striking skills. You have to have it all."

Ring said he also enjoys how little officials are involved in an MMA contest – something that's not always true of a boxing or kickboxing bout.

"In a Muay Thai match, the referee, they kind of dictate the pace and action of the fight, where it goes and this and that," Ring said. "With an MMA fight, it's up to the combatants. If you want to be a good striker, that's fine. But it is totally up to you to keep your range and keep the fight where you want to keep it. If your skills are incomplete, and you're not able to keep it in the zone you want, then that's going to be your downfall.
You need to do more. I like it. The fight can go anywhere, so you have to have a gameplan for everything.

"I appreciate boxing. I appreciate kickboxing. I've done them both. But what I like about MMA is that you have to have it all in your toolbox."

Ring hones his skills at BDB Martial Arts, a camp that he admits isn't quite the powerhouse gym that some of his fellow "TUF 11" castmates call home, but he feels he's been been able to develop well despite working in a smaller academy.

"It's a small team in a small town," Ring said. "But I think what we've got to work with is pretty good, especially considering what our backgrounds are. It's run professionally there, and we're a fairly focused group of guys."

Ring said he's quickly realizing the Canadian fight scene differs vastly from the U.S.

"A lot of guys are from actual teams," Ring said. "That's one thing I noticed about all [American fighters]. You guys all know each other. I'm coming from Canada. We've got a different martial arts scene – a different circuit, basically.

"The pool is obviously a lot bigger down here. You guys have 10 times the people. You have 10 times the people to work with and train with, so I don't know. I think we do good for what we've got up there, definitely."

Despite the lesser resources, Ring has earned a perfect 10-0 mark in MMA competition. His win over Woody Weatherby to get into the "TUF" house earned him high praise from coach Tito Ortiz, and Ring hopes to continue a successful run on the show.

And with each passing fight, Ring gets closer to his ultimate goal: retiring.

"I'm just going to buy a bunch property up in Calgary," Ring said. "Every time I fight, I'll take that money and go buy another house. I'm telling you, I'm lazy.

"After all this is said and done, I'm just going to live off passive income. Easy street. I'm not going to work at a gas station, and that's about what I'm qualified for right now."