News Anthony Johnson explains his exit from the UFC

[CerebralKnievel]

I don't know what I expected him to say. I guess if anything I expected him to deflect questions or provide some sort of non answers rather than admitting that his lifestyle and UFC policies conflicted. The truth is I really don't care and hadn't bothered to give it much thought.

Then stop commenting here. Pointless input.

 

[Mike]

Sounds like he was already under contract and something lead to him wanting out.....

Hard to know. They're well known for trying to get guys already under contract to renegotiate for less or get cut. Maybe they did that to Rumble. It's unlikely we'll ever know what happened.

 

[JKS]

You just agreed with me here.

Rumble won’t be signing for 13k a fight and proving himself again.

They want the cheap, fight anywhere, anytime, any opponent guys to fight 5 times a year.

Those guys are young.

Rumble will cost 500,000 for one single fight, not 5.

Lol, no I didn't. This is nothing new, the UFC has been doing this for many many years. Not resigning certain fighters and building up talent from lower ranks and new fighters. This is nothing to do with the contender series show or a recent phenomenon. I can go back to the late 2000s, mid 2010s or a few years back and come up with many examples. You make it sound like it's something new.

And the other point is that contender series guys aren't any cheaper than other new fighters signing. They all get the same intro pay and work their way up. None of them are fighting 5 times a year. There literally is no difference between a contender series signing and getting a younger fighter from a smaller organization.

Look at some of the fighters that came from the show.

Yusef, (27) 27/27 contract and has 4 fights in the UFC, 4-0, so far just one fight in 2020 and he's ranked #10 at FW
Hardy, (32) 95/95 contract and has 7 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-2-NC fought twice in 2020
Shabazyan, (23) 60/60 contract, has 5 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-1 and fought once in 2020, #12 ranked MW
Alex Perez, (28), 100K to show last fight, title fight, 8 fights in 3 years, 6-2 record, fought 3 time this year, #4 at FW
Sean Omalley, (26) 49/49 contract, 5 fights in the UFC in nearly 3 years, 4-1, fought 3 times in 2020.
Kevin Holland, (28) 55/55 contract, 10 fights in UFC in over two years, 8-2, fought 5 times in 2020, #10 at MW
Geoff Neal (30), 31/31 contract, just singed new deal, 4 fights in UFC, 4-0, fought 0 times in 2020, #11 at WW

Many of these guys are ranked and have good fights coming up. Perez already fought for the title. Many of them have extensive pro records with 15-20 fights.

I don't see anyone who is young, fighting for cheap and many times a year. Seems like these guys are no different than any other new signings.

 

[ignorant MMA fan]

Then stop commenting here. Pointless input.

Way more pointless than intelligent conversations based on fiction?

Go ahead and get your response in. I'll read it, but won't respond.

 

[kflo]

Hard to know. They're well known for trying to get guys already under contract to renegotiate for less or get cut. Maybe they did that to Rumble. It's unlikely we'll ever know what happened.

Well that’s not what anyone has suggested yet but yeah anything is possible. Dana said he was under contract.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Way more pointless than intelligent conversations based on fiction?

Go ahead and get your response in. I'll read it, but won't respond.

Wambulance suits only you, pussy.

Waaah!!! I won't respond. I'll disrespect people like a little bitch but I won't respond. Maaaaah

 

[WHITEBELT JESUS]

Arlovski and Reem must have dirt on the bald father, they are milking millions every time they fight.

 

[Sticko]

Lol, no I didn't. This is nothing new, the UFC has been doing this for many many years. Not resigning certain fighters and building up talent from lower ranks and new fighters. This is nothing to do with the contender series show or a recent phenomenon. I can go back to the late 2000s, mid 2010s or a few years back and come up with many examples. You make it sound like it's something new.

And the other point is that contender series guys aren't any cheaper than other new fighters signing. They all get the same intro pay and work their way up. None of them are fighting 5 times a year. There literally is no difference between a contender series signing and getting a younger fighter from a smaller organization.

Look at some of the fighters that came from the show.

Yusef, (27) 27/27 contract and has 4 fights in the UFC, 4-0, so far just one fight in 2020 and he's ranked #10 at FW
Hardy, (32) 95/95 contract and has 7 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-2-NC fought twice in 2020
Shabazyan, (23) 60/60 contract, has 5 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-1 and fought once in 2020, #12 ranked MW
Alex Perez, (28), 100K to show last fight, title fight, 8 fights in 3 years, 6-2 record, fought 3 time this year, #4 at FW
Sean Omalley, (26) 49/49 contract, 5 fights in the UFC in nearly 3 years, 4-1, fought 3 times in 2020.
Kevin Holland, (28) 55/55 contract, 10 fights in UFC in over two years, 8-2, fought 5 times in 2020, #10 at MW
Geoff Neal (30), 31/31 contract, just singed new deal, 4 fights in UFC, 4-0, fought 0 times in 2020, #11 at WW

Many of these guys are ranked and have good fights coming up. Perez already fought for the title. Many of them have extensive pro records with 15-20 fights.

I don't see anyone who is young, fighting for cheap and many times a year. Seems like these guys are no different than any other new signings.

Geoff Neal and Greg Hardy are both scheduled to fight on Saturday bringing them to 1 and 3 fights on the year respectively

 

[No Mas]

With Jones and DC out of the picture, Bellator has a far better LHW division.

You have Johnson, Romero, Bader, Cody, Davis etc. then guys like Mousasi/Moldavsky who can move up and down. I'd rather see Nemkov fight any one of them than Blachowicz vs. Teixeira lol.

 

[Garnet_StrongerThanYou]

Arlovski and Reem must have dirt on the bald father, they are milking millions every time they fight.

I think he might be nostalgic like us deep down and can’t bear to let them go.

 

[DebtCollectorMMA]

They want young guys who will fight for pennies from that terrible reality show.

they don’t want well paid mma veterans. They want striking battles with idiots with Mohawks.

It’s fine if this continues. It will build up mma outside of the UFC.

They're trying to fill cards up with these reality tv stars and then slap on a title fight or two and call it a PPV!

 

[Cat Biscuits]

They want young guys who will fight for pennies from that terrible reality show.

they don’t want well paid mma veterans. They want striking battles with idiots with Mohawks.

It’s fine if this continues. It will build up mma outside of the UFC.

This is why the UFC needs a solid competitor. In the end, it all makes for better MMA.

 

[Garnet_StrongerThanYou]

Lol, no I didn't. This is nothing new, the UFC has been doing this for many many years. Not resigning certain fighters and building up talent from lower ranks and new fighters. This is nothing to do with the contender series show or a recent phenomenon. I can go back to the late 2000s, mid 2010s or a few years back and come up with many examples. You make it sound like it's something new.

And the other point is that contender series guys aren't any cheaper than other new fighters signing. They all get the same intro pay and work their way up. None of them are fighting 5 times a year. There literally is no difference between a contender series signing and getting a younger fighter from a smaller organization.

Look at some of the fighters that came from the show.

Yusef, (27) 27/27 contract and has 4 fights in the UFC, 4-0, so far just one fight in 2020 and he's ranked #10 at FW
Hardy, (32) 95/95 contract and has 7 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-2-NC fought twice in 2020
Shabazyan, (23) 60/60 contract, has 5 UFC fights in 2 years, 4-1 and fought once in 2020, #12 ranked MW
Alex Perez, (28), 100K to show last fight, title fight, 8 fights in 3 years, 6-2 record, fought 3 time this year, #4 at FW
Sean Omalley, (26) 49/49 contract, 5 fights in the UFC in nearly 3 years, 4-1, fought 3 times in 2020.
Kevin Holland, (28) 55/55 contract, 10 fights in UFC in over two years, 8-2, fought 5 times in 2020, #10 at MW
Geoff Neal (30), 31/31 contract, just singed new deal, 4 fights in UFC, 4-0, fought 0 times in 2020, #11 at WW

Many of these guys are ranked and have good fights coming up. Perez already fought for the title. Many of them have extensive pro records with 15-20 fights.

I don't see anyone who is young, fighting for cheap and many times a year. Seems like these guys are no different than any other new signings.

even if you don’t agree with me. Anthony Johnson says what he thinks they are looking for. I think his opinion counts.

 

[Rocco Siffredi]

https://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/bel...0ACF8H62c15iCqigDHJWKJ2ZKo4YEol97NQqSfnMuys28

“Honestly, man, my time just ran out. They are focused on the younger generation, there was no bad blood, nothing negative, no animosity,” Johnson said to ESPN. “I still have the utmost respect for Zuffa, Dana White the whole nine. UFC made me who I am today. I have nothing but love for them and I’ll go up to any of them and shake their hand. But, they gave me an opportunity to start a new journey and I took it. Now I am in Bellator and ready to see what I can do there.”


Sounds fairly amicable so good to hear, as I wasn't sure what to expect since the Romero split was kind of...sudden.

and that is how that is done, good on him....

 

[613]

Rumble will cost 500,000 for one single fight, not 5.

Well he wont be getting anything close to that in Bellator

 

[613]

They're well known for trying to get guys already under contract to renegotiate for less or get cut

Who?

 

[clutchCAT420]

War Rumble young man Humble

 

[Ghostoftheville]

With Bones moving up to HW and DC retired, he had a real good shot at becoming UFC LHW champion. I mean he's on about the UFC's "younger generation", and his "time ran out"... but the LHW champion is in his late 30's, and I reckon Rumble would have KO'd him with ease.

An odd move, imo. Especially since there is no bad blood on either side. But I do wish him all the best, and I will be watching him in Bellator for sure.

Blachowicz is a year older than Johnson, like others have said, I think it has more to do with UFC not wanting to resign a guy that left when he was in the prime of his career for bigger paydays when they can sign up younger guys just happy to be on the big stage.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Seems like an amicable split that both sides were happy with.

BUT sherbros are gonna hear this and run with conspiracy theories.

They will say Rumble is on roids. Or that he was too expensive and Dana wanted cheap contender guys. Or that both sides secretly hate each other. Or that Rumble was sent to make Bellator look bad.

When sherbros don’t get an answer that reaffirms their biases they’ll make their own truth that fits narrative that they concocted their heads

it's not really a conspiracy that he was on steroids tho

 

[lsa]

The guys from DW Contender series make the same amount as any entry UFC fighters. Fighter perform and they get paid. Kevin Holland has made over $500,000 this year. His contract after after the show was 13/13 and then he got a raise to 26/26 and 2K extra each fight. He renegotiated this year and makes 52/52 a fight now.

And the UFC has a lot of well paid veterans. Guys like Overeeem, Arvlovski, Shogun and all the old timers are vert well paid. Reem was making 800K a fight to show.

People should try and check out what Bellators fighter makes when they go to California.

From the Chael vs Rampage fight in 2018 in Cali

Rory MacDonald: $100,000 (no win bonus)
def. Douglas Lima: $100,000

Michael Chandler: $50,000 (no win bonus)
def. Goiti Yamauchi: $23,000