Had some time to kill so I figured I might as well buckle down and wring out some cliffs for you, Shermanos.
- Felt great pressure during free agency but was "relieved" after he finally got the offer from PFL, says the guy was "trying to make me happy"
- Didn't sign immediately, but fielded offers from Chatri (ONE), but PFL was much better allowing him to box
- PFL allows him to box, but will be up to Big Frank whether to allow them to promote and "help" in promotion
- had conversations with Deontay Wilder (did not come through but still open to it in the future)
- negotiations for Fury fight came after talks with Wilder
- doesn’t negotiate himself personally but lets his team handle it (but lets them know what exactly he wants)
- likes to remove emotions during negotiations so lets his team handle it
- finalized Fury fight deal in June
- Jon Jones fight is possible, as PFL is “down” for that fight
- doesn’t think the UFC will go for it of course
- doesn’t believe he needs the UFC title as the Fury fight is bigger than the title
- “deep inside” he hopes the Jon Jones fight eventually happens
- glows about the potential bonanza (everything) IF he knocks Fury out
- he’s being given “crazy money” for the fight
- likes the terms of the Fury deal, including an opportunity for his ENTIRE family to finally be able to watch him fight (the promotion takes care of all of it)
- fight will be 10 rounds, with a new belt
- his knees are at 90% now but will probably get stem cell therapy to fully heal
- says he isn’t fooled by Fury’s belly and self-deprecating jokes about his body. Knows he is a monster
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HERE'S SOME UPDATED CLIFFS from the new clip just posted by Joe Hogan on YouTube:
- His relationship with the UFC changed after his first fight with Stipe, though he is not sure why or how. After the Lewis fight felt he was in an even more difficult position with UFC.
- After JDS fight, team went to negotiate for a new deal, but Dana said "No".
- However, he was happy because he wanted to renegotiate his contract as a free man, having decided to fight out his contract.
- Later, UFC wanted him to sign a new deal, but Big Frank no longer wants to as he and his team have already decided to fight out the rest of his contract
- Felt that the UFC was also slowing things down with him, as the intervals between his fights were nearly 1 year every time
- Was under pressure financially, because he was expecting to fight 2 or 3 times a year but was only fighting once a year. He was "limited of income".
- Before the start of the 2nd Stipe fight, he had to make a call to ask for ADVANCE of his purse just to finance his training camp. He had no money and he was already there training for a year.
- He was used to poverty, so it wasn't that much of a big deal.
- He doesn't trust loan institutions. Lives off of what is in his wallet.
- Noticed Dana did not come inside the ring when he retained the belt after beating Gane. Then later Dana tried to make amends by inviting them to dinner, but he was already frustrated with the UFC and not just about the contract negotiations either.
- He felt he had no guarantee (if he was going to sign a new deal) that he would not be treated badly again. So he needed new terms to make him feel "superior".
- He wanted a contract "without extension", seeing as how they have abused that "extension" in the past.
- Says that the UFC can just extend your contract if you refuse their fight offer. For example, if you refuse an offer even if for injury, you will receive a notice a week later informing you that your contract has been extended. This has happened to him when he fought Stipe (the second time).
- After Stipe he wanted to stay active, having just won the belt. It was a "big moment" for him to keep fighting and get busy (champ purse and all that), and he told the UFC he wanted to fight in July or August AND then December of that year. BUT the UFC called him in April asking if he could fight in June 12. But he wasn't prepared for June 12. He refused. The UFC said it was OK and they were "just checking". 2 months after, Big Frank received a notice of extension of his contract.
Goddamn. Pretty bush-league of the UFC, if true. Remember, these are BIG Frank's words, not DIRTY Frank's.
