Media Leon says he will NOT sign contract vs. Colby Covington

[nostradumbass]

#3 Demian Maia was 39 at the time
#1 RDA was a good win
Robbie Lawler was only ranked #11 and was 37 years old when they fought
Those are 3 good wins, Colby was very deserving when he fought Usman the first time but how many title shots is he gonna milk off these same wins?

Then #5 Tyron Woodley was 38 years old at the time and he's been washed since losing to Usman.
#6 Jorge Masvidal was 37 years old and very overrated, does anyone think he was actually the sixth-best welterweight a year ago?

Obviously Colby is a good fighter and has some good wins, but he fights once a year and beats up on senior citizens.

The question Leon was asked was if Colby was the biggest opponent he could face in terms of PPVs. He said no, actually Masvidal if he beats Burns would be bigger. That's a pretty big "if." I do not think Masvidal is beating Burns. Nor do I particularly relish the thought of Mas getting a third title shot. But at least if Mas does beat Burns, he'll have beaten an actual top contender in the last 3 years.

And Nate Diaz was 36 and not even ranked.

So you think Mas fighting less than Colby, only winning 1 round in 4 years, losing both title shots badly, then getting blown out by Colby directly, would be more deserving than the guy who completely smashed him and only lost razor thin fights to the champ if he makes it 1-3 by beating nearly 37 year old Gilbert, who would be 2-3?

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

And those are his best career wins, while Colby has a #7, #6, #5, #3 and #1. Like I asked in another thread, which fight has Belal won that could have been for an interim title if the champ was out?

If Colby fought Belal, who do you think would be the favorite when it's people putting their own money on it and not just saying who they like better? Whose odds would be better against Leon between Belal and Colby? Belal might not even be the favorite fighting down in the rankings against Shavkat.

You can not like Colby, but when it comes to what people actually believe and not just what they want, there aren't many people who think Belal is better than Colby.

Except Belal's just happened and Colby's are all the past, before his 2 title shots.
The WW division hasn't had a real eliminator since Colby RDA, and Colby is partially to blame for that. Masvidal wouldn't have gotten a shot, Woodley wouldn't have gotten a shot, Lawler wouldn't have gotten a shot. Colby's RDA win was nearly 5 years ago now, how desperate are you to cling to the past?

Brady probably would have had an eliminator if he beat Belal. Luque easily would have had at least an eliminator for beating Belal, if not the title fight straight off. Remember that Luque took Woodley off the Colby loss (which apparently earned Colby a title shot) and finished him in 1 round instead of 5 like Colby did, then he beat #5 Chiesa, then fought Belal on a brutal 4 fight finish streak and 3 fight bonus streak. And the fight was actually #4 Luque vs #5 Belal up until the week before when Khamzat leapfrogged in with his Burns win.

*I* don't think Belal is better than Colby. But his current place in the division sure as fuck should be. What the fuck do odds have to do with anything? It's a ridiculous measuring criteria for people to suddenly come to (seriously, never heard so many people vomit that retardation as I have lately), but especially stupid when I give other fighters better odds than Colby.

 

[CPH]

Its not like it has changed since he was already given hard match ups that didn't come to fruitation like the Khamzat fight that got cancelled like 3 times and then him getting past over to give Jorge a second title shot

I agree but let’s keep this in mind when talking about Masvidal - he’s always taken the hardest fights he could. WB, Maia, Till, Askren. Then he fought Nate - that’s one money fight - and people turned on him, even though his next three were Usman 2x, then Colby ..and he is now set to fight Burns. It’s amazingly myopic to rag on Masvidal for ‘ducking’. Now people are doing it to Edwards of all people. MMA has such shit-brained fans.

 

[corrupted]

The real party pooper here is Kadyrov Jr. (ranked 3 behind Don Jr)

He should ABSOLUTLEY be the guy they're lining up now but fucked it. Doesn't matter if he'd have only beaten Nate (unranked) for the shot, he'd beaten Gilbert when he was ranked two, behind Don Jr ..

But missing weight and laughing while he fucked the card has come back to bite him I believe.

Fuck knows what went on behind the scenes at that event. But I can't believe it was all as advertised. I can't see that Dana and Hunter were happy with what they had to do rearranging the card . . . But I can't see them thanking him for it.

NOW, while Don Jr has been able to squat that rank. I'd say that Kadyrov Jr's win over Burns would count for Don's win over Grand Theft Auto I think.

 

[SpartanKhmy]

So who's gonna be fighting for the interim belt now? Colby vs McG?

 

[nostradumbass]

Except Belal's just happened and Colby's are all the past, before his 2 title shots.
The WW division hasn't had a real eliminator since Colby RDA, and Colby is partially to blame for that. Masvidal wouldn't have gotten a shot, Woodley wouldn't have gotten a shot, Lawler wouldn't have gotten a shot. Colby's RDA win was nearly 5 years ago now, how desperate are you to cling to the past?

Brady probably would have had an eliminator if he beat Belal. Luque easily would have had at least an eliminator for beating Belal, if not the title fight straight off. Remember that Luque took Woodley off the Colby loss (which apparently earned Colby a title shot) and finished him in 1 round instead of 5 like Colby did, then he beat #5 Chiesa, then fought Belal on a brutal 4 fight finish streak and 3 fight bonus streak. And the fight was actually #4 Luque vs #5 Belal up until the week before when Khamzat leapfrogged in with his Burns win.

*I* don't think Belal is better than Colby. But his current place in the division sure as fuck should be. What the fuck do odds have to do with anything? It's a ridiculous measuring criteria for people to suddenly come to (seriously, never heard so many people vomit that retardation as I have lately), but especially stupid when I give other fighters better odds than Colby.

Who's the better fighter is a ridiculous measuring criteria?



Nobody was clamoring for Belal vs Leon, or pretending Belal was some clear #1 contender, until they found out Colby was fighting Leon next, and now everyone has to scramble and pretend beating Sean Brady is some undeniable path to the title. Christ, they couldn't charge money for that, they'd have to make it a 5 round title fight on the prelims.

 

[mudrubble]

The last thing Leon wants is to make an enemy of Dana. If he really refuses to play ball, as soon as he loses that belt it's game over. He will be given the worst possible match ups and cut at the soonest opportunity. I love Leon and his story but let's be honest, his style is incredibly boring. The head kick made a lot of people forget about the rest of his career.

The other side of that coin is "strike while the iron is hot". Play hardball now while the entire UK is behind you and their media will criticize the UFC for stripping their new champion.

When he starts losing Dana is going to forget him anyway, so playing the long game only works for company men who will fight anyone at any time because they know they won't be champ anyway. For guys who are peaking, or will peak, you might say use that leverage while you have it.

If he puts his foot down now, and hard, while Dana and co don't want to upset the UK, they will throw more money at him. Francis did this. Just didn't care what anyone said and stuck by his guns. As much as they HATED that it forced them to offer him a 3 fight deal with the first fight being worth $8mil. Sure, when he said no, they looked at him like he was the devil. But playing hardball while he had some leverage essentially got the entire machine to crumble and offer a lucrative deal.

He wanted more and left anyway but Leon DOES NOT want more than a lucrative deal so this will work better for him.

They NEED Colby to fight (seemingly to be able to book Jorge for fights and recoup those millions of dollars those fights will bring them), and they pretty much need (want very much) to not piss off the new atmosphere in the UK after they got a new champ.

This is a great money-making setup for Leon. I think he's playing it right.

 

[mudrubble]

You need to take into account the fact that Leon is very confident in himself to keep winning, so as long as he keeps doing that, he can play hardball.

He also has the fact that he's british going for him, since that's a market the UFC really care about and don't have many stars for it atm.

This. Strategy. Timing matters. Leon's time is now and he seems to know that.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Who's the better fighter is a ridiculous measuring criteria?



Nobody was clamoring for Belal vs Leon, or pretending Belal was some clear #1 contender, until they found out Colby was fighting Leon next, and now everyone has to scramble and pretend beating Sean Brady is some undeniable path to the title. Christ, they couldn't charge money for that, they'd have to make it a 5 round title fight on the prelims.

Who you think is better is ridiculous. I think Colbys better and Belal isn't that good, but Belal does more to prove me wrong, and Colby doesn't do shit to prove me right.

"Contender shouldn't get the shot cuz they can't win" is a repeated retarded taking point that has to be proven wrong over and over, and idiots like you act surprised, then go back to spouting it for the next one.

Contenders should be picked based on who would most win? They why did Edwards get the shot? He wasn't going to beat Usman. We should have just insta-rematched Usman and Colby multiple times already, even right after he got beat. And ya know what, there shouldn't even be a 145 contender. Volk beats everyone, so just take a vacation until 2025

And the fuck are you talking about? Everyone was pointing out Belal is number 1 ever since Khamzat became a weight pariah. I'd tell you to pay attention, but that feels futile

 

[Paladin]

Wouldn't Leon already hold the lineal BMF nonsense "belt"? Mas lost to Usman after the Diaz fight.

If the UFC just wants to sell ppvs, they'd ink Colby vs Khamzat.

Technically yes, Leon is BMF but Masvidal pulled the “I nEvEr PuT tHe BMF bElT oN tHe LiNe”

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Technically yes, Leon is BMF but Masvidal pulled the “I nEvEr PuT tHe BMF bElT oN tHe LiNe”

Hits with the same tone as a kids playing shootout and going "Nuh uh, you didn't hit me cuz i'm wearing armor"

 

[XociDe]

The other side of that coin is "strike while the iron is hot". Play hardball now while the entire UK is behind you and their media will criticize the UFC for stripping their new champion.

When he starts losing Dana is going to forget him anyway, so playing the long game only works for company men who will fight anyone at any time because they know they won't be champ anyway. For guys who are peaking, or will peak, you might say use that leverage while you have it.

If he puts his foot down now, and hard, while Dana and co don't want to upset the UK, they will throw more money at him. Francis did this. Just didn't care what anyone said and stuck by his guns. As much as they HATED that it forced them to offer him a 3 fight deal with the first fight being worth $8mil. Sure, when he said no, they looked at him like he was the devil. But playing hardball while he had some leverage essentially got the entire machine to crumble and offer a lucrative deal.

He wanted more and left anyway but Leon DOES NOT want more than a lucrative deal so this will work better for him.

They NEED Colby to fight (seemingly to be able to book Jorge for fights and recoup those millions of dollars those fights will bring them), and they pretty much need (want very much) to not piss off the new atmosphere in the UK after they got a new champ.

This is a great money-making setup for Leon. I think he's playing it right.

Francis was out of contract though. That's a big difference. Refusing to fight the guy who Dana has already announced as next will not help him in negotiations. We know that Dana/the UFC are ruthless. I don't think they care about a few bad articles. They only care about putting on the biggest fights possible (for their bottom line).

If Leon is truly confident in his ability, he should fight Colby. It's by far the biggest fight he can get right now, unless Masvidal wins, but that's very unlikely. It would serve him MUCH better to agree to fight Colby with a new deal instead of trying to negotiate a new deal while flat out declining to fight Colby.

Colby might have sat out for a year but he's possibly the best guy in the division now that Usman has lost/declined. I don't think it's THAT outrageous to give him a title shot considering there is no clear #1 contender and he is the biggest name in the division.

The UFC has never been a straight up meritocracy. They try to be for the most part, but we know certain guys who draw get special treatment, or "Dana White privilege".

 

[dre quinn]

Sadly they’ll just take his title.

 

[mudrubble]

Francis was out of contract though. That's a big difference. Refusing to fight the guy who Dana has already announced as next will not help him in negotiations. We know that Dana/the UFC are ruthless. I don't think they care about a few bad articles. They only care about putting on the biggest fights possible (for their bottom line).

If Leon is truly confident in his ability, he should fight Colby. It's by far the biggest fight he can get right now, unless Masvidal wins, but that's very unlikely. It would serve him MUCH better to agree to fight Colby with a new deal instead of trying to negotiate a new deal while flat out declining to fight Colby.

Colby might have sat out for a year but he's possibly the best guy in the division now that Usman has lost/declined. I don't think it's THAT outrageous to give him a title shot considering there is no clear #1 contender and he is the biggest name in the division.

The UFC has never been a straight up meritocracy. They try to be for the most part, but we know certain guys who draw get special treatment, or "Dana White privilege".

Fair point. But how does one agree to fight Colby when one finds out, at a press conference, that one is fighting Colby?

Say "ok sure" or "no way"? One starts with "no way" so that the UFC rolls their eyes and begins damage control. They don't go to stripping guys first, least of all guys in Leon's position. This was their biggest UK event since... forever, no? They won't start with stripping him. They'll start with negotiating.

And he SHOULD fight Colby but NOT at his contracted pay. He should feign disdain and rebellion and get them to the table offering more. This is basic negotiation. If he just says "whatever they say" he's not going to make as much as if he says no and they get into trying to convince him.

I think "no" should def be the first step in his process. He's got more leverage today than he's ever had before. He's seen leverage translate into millions in the recent past. He'd be a fool not to use his.

 

[mudrubble]

Sadly they’ll just take his title.

Let's watch keenly. I bet they just offer him more $ and change his mind. This is an easy win for both parties. No reason to go as far/drastic as stripping. They can easily come to win/win terms.

 

[XociDe]

Fair point. But how does one agree to fight Colby when one finds out, at a press conference, that one is fighting Colby?

Say "ok sure" or "no way"? One starts with "no way" so that the UFC rolls their eyes and begins damage control. They don't go to stripping guys first, least of all guys in Leon's position. This was their biggest UK event since... forever, no? They won't start with stripping him. They'll start with negotiating.

And he SHOULD fight Colby but NOT at his contracted pay. He should feign disdain and rebellion and get them to the table offering more. This is basic negotiation. If he just says "whatever they say" he's not going to make as much as if he says no and they get into trying to convince him.

I think "no" should def be the first step in his process. He's got more leverage today than he's ever had before. He's seen leverage translate into millions in the recent past. He'd be a fool not to use his.

It would definitely be smart to use it as a negotiation tactic, and I hope that is the case. As Dana has already announced it, it puts Leon in the driver's seat. He can ask for whatever he wants (within reason). If he really does refuse to fight Colby, it will only hurt him.

I don't think they will strip him at any point though. They will likely just offer him a shit new deal, or maybe no new deal. It depends how badly Dana wants this Colby fight. The whole thing was pretty bizarre, so you have to think there was some weird deal behind the scenes between Dana and Colby. Some have speculated that it involved dropping the charges against Masvidal. It all came out of nowhere after 12 months of silence.

 

[richardjohnson]

Wasn't that long ago that King Duckington was ducking Leon lmao

 

[mudrubble]

It would definitely be smart to use it as a negotiation tactic, and I hope that is the case. As Dana has already announced it, it puts Leon in the driver's seat. He can ask for whatever he wants (within reason). If he really does refuse to fight Colby, it will only hurt him.

I don't think they will strip him at any point though. They will likely just offer him a shit new deal, or maybe no new deal. It depends how badly Dana wants this Colby fight. The whole thing was pretty bizarre, so you have to think there was some weird deal behind the scenes between Dana and Colby. Some have speculated that it involved dropping the charges against Masvidal. It all came out of nowhere after 12 months of silence.

It's clear Dana does not like Colby. Colby filmed him with a hooker on his private, non-UFC time. Dana probably can't stand him.

So, yeah, there is a clear reason that he's forced to go "no matter what it's Colby" and I'd think dropping charges is probably the reason. Colby has blackmailed him before (with the hooker) so we KNOW he's down to negotiate a trade with Dana and the UFC. I think there is fire behind that smoke.

So this puts Leon in a fantastic position as you note. He can really power his income on this one if he plays his cards right. It all starts with "no way in hell will I fight Colby" and then letting his management and the UFC discuss dollars and sense. Leon is playing this by the book so far. Well done!

EDIT: And as for really refusing to fight Colby, Leon fights for money. There is no absolute principle that goes above money unless you're Francis. If they keep offering Leon more, it becomes irresponsible for him to keep saying no at some point. The question is how much more they have to offer before it becomes financially irresponsible of Leon to decline.

That's what both parties are working out now as we speak I'm sure. Leon is represented by Paradigm Sports - these guys KNOW how to get money from the UFC. He'll be fine in these negotiations.

 

[nostradumbass]

Who you think is better is ridiculous. I think Colbys better and Belal isn't that good, but Belal does more to prove me wrong, and Colby doesn't do shit to prove me right.

"Contender shouldn't get the shot cuz they can't win" is a repeated retarded taking point that has to be proven wrong over and over, and idiots like you act surprised, then go back to spouting it for the next one.

Contenders should be picked based on who would most win? They why did Edwards get the shot? He wasn't going to beat Usman. We should have just insta-rematched Usman and Colby multiple times already, even right after he got beat. And ya know what, there shouldn't even be a 145 contender. Volk beats everyone, so just take a vacation until 2025

And the fuck are you talking about? Everyone was pointing out Belal is number 1 ever since Khamzat became a weight pariah. I'd tell you to pay attention, but that feels futile

It's a spectator sport, stupid. Yes, people who actually pay for tickets and PPVs want to see the best fights, not whatever some dorks on a forum who stream the events anyway are crying about this week.

You already made an ass of yourself claiming who's the better fighter is a "ridiculous measuring standard", and now shift over to pretending I set the betting odds.

I don't set the betting odds, they're based on who everyone willing to bet their own money thinks will pay.

 

[XociDe]

One more thing about Dana/Colby. I noticed that Colby went out of his way multiple times to say how much he loves the UFC and how it has changed his life and how he's there to make them the most money possible, etc. Dana then comes out and says Colby is next "no matter what", even though he has been MIA for 12 months and Masvidal/Burns is like 3 weeks away. As I said, I don't think Colby getting a title shot is all that crazy, but if Masvidal were to win, the grudge match with Leon is HUGE. The fact that Dana couldn't just wait 3 weeks is.. odd.

Something definitely happened behind the scenes. I'd love to know what it was. We'll have to keep an eye out for news about the Masvidal lawsuit.