Did Francis Ngannou Make a Huge Mistake Not Resigning with the UFC?

[Diamondsareforever47]

I think it was a greed, and unfortunately an ill-advised one.

It was a 8 million GUARANTEED against Jon Jones, and Ngannou likely would have taken very little damage even IF he did lose, but I think Ngannou would have ran through Jon Jones, and I rate Jones as the most talented guy I've ever seen in history of MMA. And there would've been the mainstream exposure by beating someone like Jon Jones and side money off that fight. And I think he would've gone 3-0 in those three fights, whereas boxing will most likely be one off. Even if he somehow lost, he would have likely taken very little damage to his health, but who is really beating him?

He will get a bad beating in boxing, like the worst beating of his lifetime, and his last ppv did 300k, and they can't use ufc footage to hype up the fight, he can't really box, he has no leverage left, and Fury talks a lot of shit. Will that fight even happen, and if it does, will it be necessarily bigger money and will the beating be worth it?

If the Fury fight happens I would really hope the universe/God lets Ngannou win by 1 in a million KO

Ngannou then returns to the UFC and fights whoever but then losses in the UFC (unless he faces Jones) since I want Jones to lose. The new blood is needed and a Ngannou return if he became dominant would be an issue because we know he would create drama and seek to retire in a year or 2 of his hypothetical return.

 

[FreedomCricket]

I think you will be surprised....

I think it's a moot point until he signs to actually box someone.


It's sounding more like Frank ducked Jon Jones at heavyweight to protect his own legacy.

 

[Kevster]

Do people really think Bob Arum is just going to pay big Franky $20m for shits and giggles.

He already petitioned the WBC to low ball a mandatory challenger by a comical margin.

Also not buying the chasing the dream fairytale, if that was the case he would just have walked, he wanted the millions from the UFC and be able to box, he wanted a high paying safety net.

 

[SuperAlly]

Do you know what you're taking about?

MMA organisations and what they pay.

Clear you don't have a clue

 

[rstringer]

So after listening to his interview with Helwani , he mentioned that he asked for a bunch of stuff but didn't expect to get all of them.

He clearly mentioned he had no issues with the money as he was offered around 8mil per fight which is fucking great.

He said he wanted medical insurance for everyone which is really an insane demand to make knowing that the UFC is now a public company and that they can't just make that change but this wasn't even a deal breaker for him.

So the only other issue remains the lack of sponsorship flexibility. But to me that translates to money at the end of the day.

So how much money is he losing because he can't do his own sponsorships and isn't this something he could have negotiated into the payout per fight?

I really don't get it.

 

[JustOnce]

If the Fury fight happens I would really hope the universe/God lets Ngannou win by 1 in a million KO

Ngannou then returns to the UFC and fights whoever but then losses in the UFC (unless he faces Jones) since I want Jones to lose. The new blood is needed and a Ngannou return if he became dominant would be an issue because we know he would create drama and seek to retire in a year or 2 of his hypothetical return.

Ngannou couldn't touch Gane who got caught by Tai. Ngannou won't touch Fury.

 

[fastone]

lol. it's that white belt Sherdogger, Tiger Babalu or whatever. .

 

[Diamondsareforever47]

Ngannou couldn't touch Gane who got caught by Tai. Ngannou won't touch Fury.

Yes that is why I said the universe needs to intervene

 

[jeff7b9]

It's not about money for him.

He grew up dirt poor, he already has more than he likely ever dreamed of. He has traveled all over the world and become wildly famous. He has houses for his family, fancy cars, watches and shit. And he can probably pull in a few mil more if he plays his cards right.

He didn't want to be in the UFC anymore and didn't feel like he was being treated fair. His self respect is worth more than the money they offered him. What's hard to understand?

 

[Sweater of AV]

So after listening to his interview with Helwani , he mentioned that he asked for a bunch of stuff but didn't expect to get all of them.

He clearly mentioned he had no issues with the money as he was offered around 8mil per fight which is fucking great.

He said he wanted medical insurance for everyone which is really an insane demand to make knowing that the UFC is now a public company and that they can't just make that change but this wasn't even a deal breaker for him.

So the only other issue remains the lack of sponsorship flexibility. But to me that translates to money at the end of the day.

So how much money is he losing because he can't do his own sponsorships and isn't this something he could have negotiated into the payout per fight?

I really don't get it.

There are these boxing and freedom things that you seem to have missed.

 

[Fergelmince]

I think he messed up on this one. Considering the fact that this contract was only gonna be for 3 fights, I think he overplayed his hand.

It's delusional to think that one fighter, who is not a significant PPV draw btw, and one short term contract would change the landscape of MMA. I think only Connor at the height of his popularity, success, and status as a legit fighter, could've made such demands. But the UFC still wouldn't have budged for him alone. He would've had to sit down with all the champions, etc and get them on board.

I love Francis and the fighters more than I do the UFC, but he blew it on this one. ESPECIALLY considering that it was ONLY for 3 fights. As he said, fight Jones, do the Stipe trilogy, then Jones again. That could've been accomplished in one year. He wins all 3, his stock goes through the roof and he has even more power and leverage. I don't think he gets a better deal/opportunity anywhere else.

I agree, the 3 fight contract is what makes it more considerable. I still think it's questionable as to how much the UFC was going to pay him. When helwani asked if he was going to get paid more or less than the $8M Lesnar got, Ngannou said, "For the Jon Jones fight, about that." So how much would he make for the other fights? Ngannou was still a bit vague about the offer. We still don't know if the UFC offer was the better option until we see what happens with his offers outside the UFC. It'll probably take 2 years to know if he made the right decision or not.

 

[Chalky White]

How can anybody say he made the “correct” decision or not? It’s entirely up to him. We all don’t have the same goals in life.

It’s not as black and white as “more money=success”.

 

[rstringer]

It's not about money for him.

He grew up dirt poor, he already has more than he likely ever dreamed of.

He didn't want to be in the UFC anymore and didn't feel like he was being treated fair. His self respect is worth more than the money they offered him. What's hard to understand?

But how is he not being treated fairly? I mean fuck dude 8 mil a fight ain't that bad and he said he tried to make it work so it wasn't about him not wanting to be in the ufc.

 

[rstringer]

There are these boxing and freedom things that you seem to have missed.

Why would he wanna do boxing when the UFC is paying him well? I mean i get it if Fury offered him a 50 mil fight, totally understandable. He fights once , makes bank retires but he didn't really stress that point.

 

[JustOnce]

Yes that is why I said the universe needs to intervene

makes sense lol

 

[jeff7b9]

But how is he not being treated fairly? I mean fuck dude 8 mil a fight ain't that bad and he said he tried to make it work so it wasn't about him not wanting to be in the ufc.

He wants to BOX and live out his dream he has worked his whole life for which is now within reach.

He puts his body on the line constantly and he feels he deserves health insurance and that fighters deserve health insurance.

He knows the UFC makes bank and doesn't share it fairly with fighters.

He wants to be able to have sponsorships, which the UFC took away without fighters permission and gave fuck all in return.

I can go on but it doesn't matter.
He feels the contract isn't fair so he didn't sign. That's it. Siimple.

It doesn't even matter if YOU don't "get it"
It's his choice.

 

[WolverReem]

Ngannou obviously isn't very smart. He's not a big enough draw to do anything other than BKFC.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Why would he wanna do boxing when the UFC is paying him well? I mean i get it if Fury offered him a 50 mil fight, totally understandable. He fights once , makes bank retires but he didn't really stress that point.

Because he wants to. What kind of a question is that?

He's said all along that he wants to box and have freedom to do other things, both of which are more important than money for him.

It's humorous to see people project their own beliefs and desires onto other people's situations.

 

[Eiger]

I don't think he overplayed his hand, rather I think he had no intention whatsoever of re-signing to begin with and decided to gin up publicity for himself (and perhaps a cause he believes in) on his way out. Regardless if one agrees with what he wants for fighters to be proper and just, making it a part of his contract demands was so absurd that I cannot even regard it as negotiating in good faith.

 

[Fergelmince]

So after listening to his interview with Helwani , he mentioned that he asked for a bunch of stuff but didn't expect to get all of them.

He clearly mentioned he had no issues with the money as he was offered around 8mil per fight which is fucking great.

He said he wanted medical insurance for everyone which is really an insane demand to make knowing that the UFC is now a public company and that they can't just make that change but this wasn't even a deal breaker for him.

So the only other issue remains the lack of sponsorship flexibility. But to me that translates to money at the end of the day.

So how much money is he losing because he can't do his own sponsorships and isn't this something he could have negotiated into the payout per fight?

I really don't get it.

sponsorships could be a lot. But the one key point is that they wouldn't allow any boxing. I know all the UFC nuthuggers on sherdog think he can't get a pro fight, but he might, and having the option was a real sticking point for Ngannou. He should have that option if he's an independent contractor, but the UFC wants to basically OWN you for the term of the contract and Ngannou took a principled position on that. Sometimes people have principles you can't put a price on.

edit: should've said the key point is - no boxing COMBINED with the independent contractor status.