Media Francis Ngannou on Why he left the UFC
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Bottom line, his legacy is toast whether you like Dana and the UFC or not. Who ever built a big name for themselves after leaving the UFC? Simply put, there is no Pride anymore, no real competition for the UFC. You’re either in the UFC or nobody cares.
He’s 1-1 against Stipe, never beat Jones and a lot of people would like to see that rematch against Gane. He just isn’t a big enough name to get big boxing matches on the level he thinks he can. Do you think Fury will fight him? Not a chance, most casual fans don’t even know who he is. PFL nor Bellator have a worthy opponent. Big mistake in my opinion. He’s not getting any younger. Waste
He’s 1-1 against Stipe, never beat Jones and a lot of people would like to see that rematch against Gane. He just isn’t a big enough name to get big boxing matches on the level he thinks he can. Do you think Fury will fight him? Not a chance, most casual fans don’t even know who he is. PFL nor Bellator have a worthy opponent. Big mistake in my opinion. He’s not getting any younger. Waste
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Is is great for the sport, though?
If a HW champ with a great backstory, a guy that was finishing people like we’ve never seen before, can’t get favorable terms, why would any great athlete that can compete at HW consider joining the UFC?
This feels like a step backwards for a division that has always struggled to attract talented athletes IMO.
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Good luck to him.
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That's the lynchpin IMO. He wants to be able to go get KO'd by Tyson Fury for a big bag of cash.
Ngannou is right though. You should either be an independent contractor or an employee. The UFC has always tried to have their cake and eat it too on that one with treating their fighters like independent contractors in terms of pay and benefits but like employees with everything else.
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His legacy is he will make more money in 1 boxing match than his whole ufc career combined. His isn’t young and he is a prizefighter so might as well fight for the biggest prize. Caring about what fans think is for fools
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Yeah I was surprised when Dana said "He wants to go fight easier fights for more money" while trying to diss Francis for not "wanting to fight the best". He accidentally gave away that PFL or someone else is offering more that they wouldn't match.
Who ever left the UFC with the belt and a big winning streak? There is no precedent.
GSP wanted to but was locked in a contract.
Other orgs might offer him big money to have the real HW champ; between that and greater freedom with sponsors, he might end up with more money in the short term, and there is no guarantee of a long-term pay situation with the UFC since he might not be champ for long (and he is older).
If he is able to get a big money boxing match, it would be well worth leaving the UFC for.
I hope Francis isn't leaving the UFC for a boxing match he isn't going to get; he should do it while he is still champ (before he loses).
If he is able to get a big money boxing match, it would be well worth leaving the UFC for.
I hope Francis isn't leaving the UFC for a boxing match he isn't going to get; he should do it while he is still champ (before he loses).
A number of fighters have left and got more money; I don't know what makes everyone so sure he will make less money elsewhere.
Francis is one fight away from losing a lot of negotiating power in the UFC as he wouldn't be champ. Maybe he is hoping he can KO cans in MMA (outside UFC) and get a shot against Fury, or he has discussed that with Fury.
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Yes, whether you buy a stapler, pay an employee or pay a contractor, those are expenses of the company. What will increase costs for UFC here are the benefits, admin and probably payroll taxes and the taxes you mentioned (I’m not an accountant).
If these guys are reclassified, the UFC will start by saying “we have $100,000 budgeted for you; we used to pay you $100,000, now we’ll pay you $80,000 plus the $20,000 we’re spending on your X, Y and Z.” That’s not to say that the conversation will end there. There’s a reason the company doesn’t want them classified as employees. But it’s not like a favorable change here would immediately allow the fighters to have their cake and eat it too.
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Sorry to see him go, but money talks and bullshit walks! Maybe after he gets pounded by Fury, he'll come back. If not, there may be a big Jake Paul fight for him too!
Agree, it is what it is. I would have liked to watched Francis vs Jones, Francis vs Gane II, Francis vs Pav, etc. But I won’t lose any sleep over it. Hope he gets what he wants out of his next deal and life.
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'ol Francis got an inflated sense of self worth. More power to him for wanting to get that money, but this is probably going to ruin his legacy. Still, I'd sell out in a second for millions of monies too.
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Why don’t people understand this? He wants to fight MMA and box and will be allowed. That’s why he left.
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Ngannou is a Max Holloway draw at best, him vs Gane did like 300k buys. Paying him multi million per fight is already too generous and more than what he deserves.
And which promotion would actually want to sign Ngannou? Firstly I am not sure there's a promotion which has a stable of HWs that can lead to interesting fights with Ngannou, so why would they invest big money to feed him cans? Secondly I am not sure why the promotion will allow Ngannou to box, when him getting destroyed in boxing (which is a forgone conclusion) basically tanks his value.
And which promotion would actually want to sign Ngannou? Firstly I am not sure there's a promotion which has a stable of HWs that can lead to interesting fights with Ngannou, so why would they invest big money to feed him cans? Secondly I am not sure why the promotion will allow Ngannou to box, when him getting destroyed in boxing (which is a forgone conclusion) basically tanks his value.
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I agree, It sounds like he was offered good money but I'm sure the "boxing" thing was a sticking point. Or does he really think he's worth even more? does he want to go and get humiliated by Fury for a paycheck that prob wouldnt be a large amount more then the UFC would pay him? Gane turned him into a wrestler does he really think the boxing thing is going to work out for him.
Sure he is a draw but that big of a draw that Bellator or anyone else will step up and pay him? Not to mention it sounds like he wants freedom in his contract which kinda screws any org who would give him a shot at a belt.
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Sorry to see him go, but money talks and bullshit walks! Maybe after he gets pounded by Fury, he'll come back. If not, there may be a big Jake Paul fight for him too!
Well that's just it, and when will Fury fight him? might not be for a while if he's tied up with other fights so what will Frank do in the mean time?
