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Somebody please show me the receipts!

mjfan23 said:
Facts: Francis was under contract and had to fight out his contract. UFC could have made him Fight whoever they want. Jones refused to fight.


Everything else is irrelevant or opinions.

UFC could have forced Francis to fight or stripped him but Jones wasn’t a willing dance partner. When Francis was out of his contract ufc apparently offered him 8$ million to fight Jones(who didn’t ever sign on btw) in an attempt to retain his services and the belts integrity.
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I think the fact that you think they can make Ngannou fight anyone under the last fight on his contract is a testament to how delusional you are to the reality of how this all works.
 
Shilajit said:
Nah

That's not how it works.

They can't just make someone fight like this

Jones initiated the superfight discussions under the pretext that they're paid in accordance for it.

Which initiated Francis pursuing his own bag.

You say Jones refused to fight, yet Chael said he was back in the UFC and they were waiting for Ngnannou to sign.

Ngannou by his own testimony said he was offered the fight for 8 million and refused it.

Some of you guys are literally saying the exact opposite of what actually happened to the point of delusion.

Whether you admit it or not, you either don't like him or are biased in some way.
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Cool analysis and opinions. But here’s the fact:

Francis had to fight out his contract. UFC could have forced him to fight anyone they want or strip him like they have done in the past e.g. GDR. Jones was available but wanted none of it. Francis fought Gane with an injured knee and basically fought out his actual contract.
 
UFC was leveraging Jones fight to lock down Ngannou. They weren't going to give Ngannou a chance to KO him and walk away, what org would be that stupid to give as last fight? Clearly makes the most sense now. Both guys were going to make the most money from that fight and they are kind of strong at what the other is weaker at.
 
Welterskelter said:
Is there any actual proof that Jones vs Ngannou was going to happen? Did Jon Jones ever actually accept a fight with big Francis? Was JBJ asking for ludicrous impossible money for the potential Ngannou match up? How much did he end up accepting against Gane in comparison?

Was it all part of JBJ’s master plan to return at HW without having to fight Ngannou??? I find the timeline, the 3 year wait, the moment chosen to return, the selection of Cyril Gane (incredibly favourable stylistic matchup) as his opponent really suspicious. I’ve always watched JBJ and enjoyed (almost) all his fights. The man is possibly the greatest in the octagon. As a fight fan and JBJ fan, some of this doesn’t sit right with me as I can’t help but feel like we were a little manipulated by the UFC.

View attachment 983543
https://www.mmafighting.com/platfor...t-running-narrative-jon-jones-is-not-that-guy
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Who knows. Keep in mind regarding timing that the UFC was strongly incentivized to announce a noteworthy HW title fight as soon as it was announced that Francis was leaving. They probably made Jones an attractive offer to be able to book that Gane fight as soon as Francis bolted.

Also, everyone had to wait for the Francis thing to get resolved before acting. It’s not like Jones and the UFC were going to sign a contract for him to fight ______ for the title. Could he have fought Blaydes or someone in the meantime? I guess, but we know he never wanted a fight other than the title shot. And the one name that he might have fought in a non-title or interim-title fight (Stipe) is just as inactive as Jon is.
 
Bad Karate said:
Because Francis dropped his belt and ran from the company rather then step in the cage and get embarrassed by the goat
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Im not sure what articles you've reading but Francis seems to have made that choice for a plethora of reasons...I highly doubt he's afraid of Jones.

Would he beat Jon?
Maybe not, maybe so... we'll never know sir.
 
StonedLemur said:
Im not sure what articles you've reading but Francis seems to have made that choice for a plethora of reasons...I highly doubt he's afraid of Jones.

Would he beat Jon?
Maybe not, maybe so... we'll never know sir.
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The fact he dropped the most prestigious belt in the sport and left the most prestigious organization in the sport to avoid making the biggest possible fight he could ever be a part of in the sport tells me he was afraid of Jon.
 
Bad Karate said:
The fact he dropped the most prestigious belt in the sport and left the most prestigious organization in the sport to avoid making the biggest possible fight he could ever be a part of in the sport tells me he was afraid of Jon.
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Some people have different needs , and he didn't want to be stuck in the contract that they were trying to push on him.
If anything he showed courage taking a step away to be treated like a human sir.
 
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StonedLemur said:
Some people have different needs and being needs, and he didn't want to be stuck in the contract that they were trying to push on him.
If anything he showed courage taking a step away to be treated like a human sir.
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He showed courage by not fighting the clear biggest fight he would ever have?

I'm confused.
 
Jon wanted no part in Francis and he’s willing to lie about it to “uphold” his legacy. He always took favourable fights and whenever he didn’t he got pushed to the brink - Gus, Reyes, Santos etc. he lost the Reyes fight 100%. Definitely the most privileged guy in the sport.
 
Shilajit said:
Nah

That's not how it works.

They can't just make someone fight like this

Jones initiated the superfight discussions under the pretext that they're paid in accordance for it.

Which initiated Francis pursuing his own bag.

You say Jones refused to fight, yet Chael said he was back in the UFC and they were waiting for Ngnannou to sign.

Ngannou by his own testimony said he was offered the fight for 8 million and refused it.

Some of you guys are literally saying the exact opposite of what actually happened to the point of delusion.

Whether you admit it or not, you either don't like him or are biased in some way.
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I know this is a little over a week late but nothing you've stated is binding. It's hearsay. It's still in the negotiations phase until all parties sign. Just like we as fans will see "card subject to change" there are legal outs in every contract. We've literally been told by fighters that they were offered contracts and signed them only to later find out that they were used as a bargaining piece to get the actual fight they wanted. And Chael P. Sonnen is not the guy to use as a reliable source.
 
Welterskelter said:
Did Jones and UFC ever officially agree to a $ number against Ngannou? I keep seeing “quotes” from White & Jones. Apologies if I’m rehashing something. I’m just interested in the truth.
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It was my understanding this is why the fight fell through the first time on Jones' end. They couldn't agree to a number, and then Dana does what Dana does and started calling Jones a coward and said he should go fight at MW if he doesn't want to fight Francis, he was all about Francis murdering Jones and was trying to goad him into agreeing to the fight.

Then Francis pulls out because his management finds something fishy in the contract he was offered, and Dana and the UFC refused to revise it or come to more agreeable terms. Dana starts saying Jones would've mauled Ngannou, again doing what Dana always does, trying to goad his fighters into doing what he wants them to do without giving into their demands. He's predictable and honestly very tiring, anyone paying attention is capable of seeing through his bullshit.

Anyone who thinks either Jones or Ngannou are "cowards" is a moron. They didn't fight because the UFC fumbled the ball. That's all there is to it. Dana cannot make great fights happen and most of the great big "super fights" we've gotten have been because someone else made the push themselves for it to happen. It has nothing to do with him 90% of the time. If anything he's responsible for most of the superfights we didn't get and should be kept far away from any contract negotiations.
 
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