The Problem Isn't Ngannou or His Agent

[Serge421]

One of the upsides of being with CAA, they can easily transition him to other forms of entertainment.

Yes like porn

 

[Jose Beehive]

Great post TS!

Also curious as to what the series was you and Bonnar were involved in?

 

[Cat Biscuits]

If one fighter refuses to fight, U Fight Cheap will find 10 others who will.

And thats why I don't think that people who haven't been around as long as I have understand how watered down and cheapened the UFC has become to me.

And most of the ones that are don't have reps that have the balls to push, instead they're worried about retaliation.

Which is why Dana needs to go. He's like a pissy ex-girlfriend who takes everything extremely personal and if you don't like her, she wants to destroy your life.

While I can appreciate some of the things Dana does from time to time, in the end he's a greedy fuck with way too much money and little respect for those who made him who he is today.

 

[G10]

1

Nice post TS. My own take on Dana and contracts / managers is that he hates anyone that actually stands up to him and tries to actually get more from Dana then what he was ready to offer.

He will go dirty on anyone really fast it doesn't even matter the name value he did this to Conor for example and lesser names have no chance he will give them hard match ups at the end of a contract, he will hold grudges, he will put them down publicly, he will trash their managements, their coaches / gyms it doesn't matter he will do it all.

So whenever Dana takes a loss I chuckle cause they are rare, for example when he got taken to school by that old boxing manager that Holly Holm had, oh boy did Dana hate on him and like I said that is a major sign that your manager might actually be good, in the case of Holly she had PPV points as a contender vs a UFC cash cow and that is so rare to get, heck they trap some champs with no cut or make them win / defend the belt before they access it but nope Holly's manager made her bank from a contender position.

Then again what can you expect this is the CTE business, this isn't a real sport this is entertainment via violence don't ever get it twisted they can wrap it any way they think its convenient at a certain time but at the end of the day it is just a business.

To be honest I'm not even convinced Dana is that good of a businessman he is charismatic and with low morality and clearly has experience but this guy without the Fertitta's wouldn't have been on the map.

Lastly heads up 'fighter pay' related threads seem to be less cool on sherdog cause they had enough money talk... most don't even realize that the level of competition, professionalism, talent pool etc is directly correlated to the prize level.

1,000,000% this. Plus, since there's such a cult of personality around Dana, he has all these fanboys that believe he's some sort of genius businessman and gets defensive when he's criticized. I posted something similar to this a few months ago, and I got a LOT of hate from them.

Also, there's nobody left to critique the UFC anymore. They're not mainstream enough to draw attention from major media outlets, and since they're partnered with ESPN, they get the same propaganda treatment that the NFL gets. The only outlets that are critical of them are little MMA websites like Sherdog, MMAFighting, etc, but they're small voices in the wind, comparatively.

 

[El Fernas]

Boxers clout chasing mention Ngannou when they know fight cant happen...but then whats Ngannou actual value? He isnt the PPV draw he thinks he is, not that selling 350k isnt worth anything, but that isnt worth millions in purse either.

 

[MCS]

If a fighter gets into the middle of a power struggle between two agencies the question is why do they choose the rival in the first place? It doesn't make practical sense to be in that position.

The other side is getting a worse contract if represented by the same agency the UFC is owned by, so maybe a 3rd option is better.

 

[One MMA Fan]

1,000,000% this. Plus, since there's such a cult of personality around Dana, he has all these fanboys that believe he's some sort of genius businessman and gets defensive when he's criticized. I posted something similar to this a few months ago, and I got a LOT of hate from them.

Also, there's nobody left to critique the UFC anymore. They're not mainstream enough to draw attention from major media outlets, and since they're partnered with ESPN, they get the same propaganda treatment that the NFL gets. The only outlets that are critical of them are little MMA websites like Sherdog, MMAFighting, etc, but they're small voices in the wind, comparatively.

And the result is less of a product, we get watered down cards that quite frankly half this guys shouldn't be in the 'premiere MMA organization'.

They are stretched too thin all because they need to make x number of events to fulfill a contract.

Gone are the days of a super card every 1-2 months ps: we called that a card little did we know the only super we will get moving forward will be UFC 300. But cool pay them less Dana, you personally will be out of this business in a decade, it never was about the fighters or growing the sport it was all about $.

"Make your own league then smart guys and run it how you see fit" - I would Dana, I would I just need a couple of billionaire high-school friends. Pompous goof...

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Boxers clout chasing mention Ngannou when they know fight cant happen...but then whats Ngannou actual value? He isnt the PPV draw he thinks he is, not that selling 350k isnt worth anything, but that isnt worth millions in purse either.

The UFC has a major problem on it's hands. Conor sort of started this with Floyd, but Jake Paul really expanded this, and it is only getting worse.. UFC fighters Ex and current would rather box high profile fights and lose for the money, than fight in MMA and win.. Francis is calling out Tyson Fury.. He knows full well he is taking a bad beating in that fight. But he wants the money.. That's the UFC HW Champ who wants out of his deal to box.. And lose.. But he doesn't care..

This is man that should be focused on his legacy right now.. But when the money is NOT there.. Athletes only care about that..

 

[datfnguy]

Can the mods just merge it all in a big “I hate Dana” thread, please?

Nooo please noooo. Stop merging posts, we miss fresh perspectives. Just let us click the ones we want and ignore the ones we don't.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

This is just my own (long form) opinion, mixed with personal experiences, so I'll start with that disclaimer.

Over the years, Dana has always found an avenue to downplay a fighter's worth when it comes time to negotiate. The truth is secondary. The Diaz brothers "don't move the needle", for example.

In the case of Francis, I believe it has very little to do with the fighter himself, other than him being told what he's actually worth by people outside of the UFC's influence that do know what he's actually worth, and more to do with Dana & Co's long and rocky history with said people.

Francis is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). For those of you that don't know, CAA has represented a lot of top UFC fighters over the years, starting long before the WME buyout.

Also, CAA and WME have been bitter rivals since the formation of CAA, by five former WME agents, in 1975.

Some of the most notable names on CAA's MMA roster have included, but are not limited to: Cain Velasquez, Rory MacDonald, Georges St. Pierre (and his coach, Firas Zahabi), the Shevchenko's, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, TJ Dillashaw, Kevin Lee, and Tim Kennedy.

Since the beginning of CAA's dealings with UFC, there have been quite a few bumps in the road when it comes time to negotiate a new contract for a lot of CAA's most popular fighters. The biggest example obviously being GSP, and a constant one since they began representing him all the way back in 2008.

Dana recently stated that he places the majority of blame on Ngannou's agent and agency in not easily being able to come to terms on a new deal. His claim is that "this is what happens when you get a guy that's repped by an agency that isn't soley an MMA agency; they have no idea what they're talking about".

However, he doesn't seem to feel the same way about the roster of UFC fighters repped by WME's own talent division, whom had only one fighter on their roster prior to purchasing UFC - Ronda Rousey, signed shortly after her first UFC fight in 2013.

Not to mention that he's dismissing the fact that, although CAA represents all forms of entertainers (as does WME), they have been representing UFC/MMA fighters (prospects, title contenders, and champions) for more than a decade. At this point, CAA is very familiar with the business side of MMA and UFC, and very much know what they are talking about.

In all fairness, Dana has dealt with plenty of agencies outside (and within) the MMA bubble that are content to just ride the current. So, those agents and managers helped set his expectations.

For example, I was lined up to film and distribute a documentary series that featured, individually, some of the cast members from season one of The Ultimate Fighter, well known UFC fighters, as well a number of non-UFC fighters. It was set to begin production shortly after the TUF 1 finale.

The first TUF cast member I had on board was Stephan Bonnar. When Stephan and I first began talking about it, money wasn't really on his mind; he had just been awarded a "six figure contract" and was simply interested in the concept of my proposed series. He was going to be fairly compensated, and he knew that.

A couple months after Stephan and I started talking, he was approached by and signed a deal with a major sports agency - Sports Entertainment Group (SEG). Stephan gave his agent my contact info, and I received a call shortly after.

Stephan had already told me how much he was being paid to fight, so I wasn't surprised when the agent was looking for similar numbers for Stephan's involvement in my series. He was the first MMA fighter that they had signed, and he was going into his first UFC contract, so the agent didn't have much else to base his expectations on. He was content to just ride the current.

I was fine with the numbers from the agent. In fact, they were actually less than what Stephan would've been paid by me for his involvement in the series. Based on my own conversations with UFC, to secure various permissions and licenses for my series - which did eventually get worked out - they barely wiggle, let alone budge. That was when UFC was just getting back on the map, I can't even imagine what those conversations would be like now.

Anyway, I digress, I'm not here to talk about the series, that's just an example to point out, from my own personal experience, the types of "MMA agents" that Dana is comparing CAA to. And although SEG fit that bill, they no longer rep MMA fighters, and haven't for a long time.

Either way, he likes the ones that are willing to just go with the flow to ensure a consistently solid relationship with UFC itself, but CAA has never been that way, and isn't willing to just accept whatever offer hits the table.

Now, one could argue that CAA playing hardball has a negative impact on their fighters, but with the exceptions of a few non-CAA fighters like Ronda, Conor, Anderson, and Jon, one could also argue that it has lead to quite a few of CAA's fighters having rather successful MMA careers (opportunities).


TLDR - The majority of heated negotiations and fall outs with top fighters that the UFC has had over the years have revolved around Dana's 13 plus year pissing match with CAA, further escalated by WME's purchase of UFC; mostly due to CAA being concerned more with their clients' best interests than those of UFC and WME. Which is exactly what anyone, in any industry, should fully expect from the agency that represents them.

Big thanks to anyone that read the whole thing.

Fun Fact: For all of you that are unsure why Dana is giving Jake Paul so much attention - Jake's "Warlock" manager that Dana mentioned recently is UFC's former Chief Financial Officer (2011-2016), and both Jake and his brother, Logan, are clients of WME's talent division. Logan was signed to CAA prior to joining his brother on WME's roster - It's all relative.

I stopped reading at "Diaz brothers don't move the needle." That's super disingenuous.
1. The quote was "Nate Diaz isn't a needle mover."
2. At that time Nate Diaz wasn't moving any needles.
3. The quote came after the lowest rated Fox card ever which was headlined by Diaz vs Benson for LW title and Diaz got wrecked 50-43 on 2 judge's scorecards.

Dana does enough stuff to get flamed all by himself. No need to spin things negatively when he actually tells the truth.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

This is just my own (long form) opinion, mixed with personal experiences, so I'll start with that disclaimer.

Over the years, Dana has always found an avenue to downplay a fighter's worth when it comes time to negotiate. The truth is secondary. The Diaz brothers "don't move the needle", for example.

In the case of Francis, I believe it has very little to do with the fighter himself, other than him being told what he's actually worth by people outside of the UFC's influence that do know what he's actually worth, and more to do with Dana & Co's long and rocky history with said people.

Francis is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). For those of you that don't know, CAA has represented a lot of top UFC fighters over the years, starting long before the WME buyout.

Also, CAA and WME have been bitter rivals since the formation of CAA, by five former WME agents, in 1975.

Some of the most notable names on CAA's MMA roster have included, but are not limited to: Cain Velasquez, Rory MacDonald, Georges St. Pierre (and his coach, Firas Zahabi), the Shevchenko's, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, TJ Dillashaw, Kevin Lee, and Tim Kennedy.

Since the beginning of CAA's dealings with UFC, there have been quite a few bumps in the road when it comes time to negotiate a new contract for a lot of CAA's most popular fighters. The biggest example obviously being GSP, and a constant one since they began representing him all the way back in 2008.

Dana recently stated that he places the majority of blame on Ngannou's agent and agency in not easily being able to come to terms on a new deal. His claim is that "this is what happens when you get a guy that's repped by an agency that isn't soley an MMA agency; they have no idea what they're talking about".

However, he doesn't seem to feel the same way about the roster of UFC fighters repped by WME's own talent division, whom had only one fighter on their roster prior to purchasing UFC - Ronda Rousey, signed shortly after her first UFC fight in 2013.

Not to mention that he's dismissing the fact that, although CAA represents all forms of entertainers (as does WME), they have been representing UFC/MMA fighters (prospects, title contenders, and champions) for more than a decade. At this point, CAA is very familiar with the business side of MMA and UFC, and very much know what they are talking about.

In all fairness, Dana has dealt with plenty of agencies outside (and within) the MMA bubble that are content to just ride the current. So, those agents and managers helped set his expectations.

For example, I was lined up to film and distribute a documentary series that featured, individually, some of the cast members from season one of The Ultimate Fighter, well known UFC fighters, as well a number of non-UFC fighters. It was set to begin production shortly after the TUF 1 finale.

The first TUF cast member I had on board was Stephan Bonnar. When Stephan and I first began talking about it, money wasn't really on his mind; he had just been awarded a "six figure contract" and was simply interested in the concept of my proposed series. He was going to be fairly compensated, and he knew that.

A couple months after Stephan and I started talking, he was approached by and signed a deal with a major sports agency - Sports Entertainment Group (SEG). Stephan gave his agent my contact info, and I received a call shortly after.

Stephan had already told me how much he was being paid to fight, so I wasn't surprised when the agent was looking for similar numbers for Stephan's involvement in my series. He was the first MMA fighter that they had signed, and he was going into his first UFC contract, so the agent didn't have much else to base his expectations on. He was content to just ride the current.

I was fine with the numbers from the agent. In fact, they were actually less than what Stephan would've been paid by me for his involvement in the series. Based on my own conversations with UFC, to secure various permissions and licenses for my series - which did eventually get worked out - they barely wiggle, let alone budge. That was when UFC was just getting back on the map, I can't even imagine what those conversations would be like now.

Anyway, I digress, I'm not here to talk about the series, that's just an example to point out, from my own personal experience, the types of "MMA agents" that Dana is comparing CAA to. And although SEG fit that bill, they no longer rep MMA fighters, and haven't for a long time.

Either way, he likes the ones that are willing to just go with the flow to ensure a consistently solid relationship with UFC itself, but CAA has never been that way, and isn't willing to just accept whatever offer hits the table.

Now, one could argue that CAA playing hardball has a negative impact on their fighters, but with the exceptions of a few non-CAA fighters like Ronda, Conor, Anderson, and Jon, one could also argue that it has lead to quite a few of CAA's fighters having rather successful MMA careers (opportunities).


TLDR - The majority of heated negotiations and fall outs with top fighters that the UFC has had over the years have revolved around Dana's 13 plus year pissing match with CAA, further escalated by WME's purchase of UFC; mostly due to CAA being concerned more with their clients' best interests than those of UFC and WME. Which is exactly what anyone, in any industry, should fully expect from the agency that represents them.

Big thanks to anyone that read the whole thing.

Fun Fact: For all of you that are unsure why Dana is giving Jake Paul so much attention - Jake's "Warlock" manager that Dana mentioned recently is UFC's former Chief Financial Officer (2011-2016), and both Jake and his brother, Logan, are clients of WME's talent division. Logan was signed to CAA prior to joining his brother on WME's roster - It's all relative.

I don't think Logan, Jake, and Warlock being associated with WME has anything to do with Dana's comments. Dana is being Dana, and Jake Paul is being Jake Paul. He's been talking shit about Dana since the beginning and Jake Paul is starting to hurt UFC's brand. Yes WME may be owners, but Dana is UFC not WME. Also the Paul's and Warlocks are just clients of WME, they are not WME. Things can and still will get personal regardless of those associations.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

One of the upsides of being with CAA, they can easily transition him to other forms of entertainment.

That's probably how he got in the Fast and Furious movie.

 

[Leonard Haid]

This is just my own (long form) opinion, mixed with personal experiences, so I'll start with that disclaimer.

Over the years, Dana has always found an avenue to downplay a fighter's worth when it comes time to negotiate. The truth is secondary. The Diaz brothers "don't move the needle", for example.

In the case of Francis, I believe it has very little to do with the fighter himself, other than him being told what he's actually worth by people outside of the UFC's influence that do know what he's actually worth, and more to do with Dana & Co's long and rocky history with said people.

Francis is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). For those of you that don't know, CAA has represented a lot of top UFC fighters over the years, starting long before the WME buyout.

Also, CAA and WME have been bitter rivals since the formation of CAA, by five former WME agents, in 1975.

Some of the most notable names on CAA's MMA roster have included, but are not limited to: Cain Velasquez, Rory MacDonald, Georges St. Pierre (and his coach, Firas Zahabi), the Shevchenko's, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, TJ Dillashaw, Kevin Lee, and Tim Kennedy.

Since the beginning of CAA's dealings with UFC, there have been quite a few bumps in the road when it comes time to negotiate a new contract for a lot of CAA's most popular fighters. The biggest example obviously being GSP, and a constant one since they began representing him all the way back in 2008.

Dana recently stated that he places the majority of blame on Ngannou's agent and agency in not easily being able to come to terms on a new deal. His claim is that "this is what happens when you get a guy that's repped by an agency that isn't soley an MMA agency; they have no idea what they're talking about".

However, he doesn't seem to feel the same way about the roster of UFC fighters repped by WME's own talent division, whom had only one fighter on their roster prior to purchasing UFC - Ronda Rousey, signed shortly after her first UFC fight in 2013.

Not to mention that he's dismissing the fact that, although CAA represents all forms of entertainers (as does WME), they have been representing UFC/MMA fighters (prospects, title contenders, and champions) for more than a decade. At this point, CAA is very familiar with the business side of MMA and UFC, and very much know what they are talking about.

In all fairness, Dana has dealt with plenty of agencies outside (and within) the MMA bubble that are content to just ride the current. So, those agents and managers helped set his expectations.

For example, I was lined up to film and distribute a documentary series that featured, individually, some of the cast members from season one of The Ultimate Fighter, well known UFC fighters, as well a number of non-UFC fighters. It was set to begin production shortly after the TUF 1 finale.

The first TUF cast member I had on board was Stephan Bonnar. When Stephan and I first began talking about it, money wasn't really on his mind; he had just been awarded a "six figure contract" and was simply interested in the concept of my proposed series. He was going to be fairly compensated, and he knew that.

A couple months after Stephan and I started talking, he was approached by and signed a deal with a major sports agency - Sports Entertainment Group (SEG). Stephan gave his agent my contact info, and I received a call shortly after.

Stephan had already told me how much he was being paid to fight, so I wasn't surprised when the agent was looking for similar numbers for Stephan's involvement in my series. He was the first MMA fighter that they had signed, and he was going into his first UFC contract, so the agent didn't have much else to base his expectations on. He was content to just ride the current.

I was fine with the numbers from the agent. In fact, they were actually less than what Stephan would've been paid by me for his involvement in the series. Based on my own conversations with UFC, to secure various permissions and licenses for my series - which did eventually get worked out - they barely wiggle, let alone budge. That was when UFC was just getting back on the map, I can't even imagine what those conversations would be like now.

Anyway, I digress, I'm not here to talk about the series, that's just an example to point out, from my own personal experience, the types of "MMA agents" that Dana is comparing CAA to. And although SEG fit that bill, they no longer rep MMA fighters, and haven't for a long time.

Either way, he likes the ones that are willing to just go with the flow to ensure a consistently solid relationship with UFC itself, but CAA has never been that way, and isn't willing to just accept whatever offer hits the table.

Now, one could argue that CAA playing hardball has a negative impact on their fighters, but with the exceptions of a few non-CAA fighters like Ronda, Conor, Anderson, and Jon, one could also argue that it has lead to quite a few of CAA's fighters having rather successful MMA careers (opportunities).


TLDR - The majority of heated negotiations and fall outs with top fighters that the UFC has had over the years have revolved around Dana's 13 plus year pissing match with CAA, further escalated by WME's purchase of UFC; mostly due to CAA being concerned more with their clients' best interests than those of UFC and WME. Which is exactly what anyone, in any industry, should fully expect from the agency that represents them.

Big thanks to anyone that read the whole thing.

Fun Fact: For all of you that are unsure why Dana is giving Jake Paul so much attention - Jake's "Warlock" manager that Dana mentioned recently is UFC's former Chief Financial Officer (2011-2016), and both Jake and his brother, Logan, are clients of WME's talent division. Logan was signed to CAA prior to joining his brother on WME's roster - It's all relative.

Brilliant. I'll read your long posts anytime.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

With Tyson Holyfield taking part in legends series, Ngannou has to think of a way out because I’m sure he will be able to market his power in exhibitions even at 50 years old.
Today GSP can’t even do exhibition against de la Hoya.
Schwab ass is still owned by UFC

He already has a way out. That's why UFC made an interim champ right away after like 2 months from Ngannou winning the title. That's also why Ngannou is already challenging Fury and Wilder.

 

[Ryeboi]

Thanks OP. I read an article that stated the same, but I appreciate your perspective having worked with fighters.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

I stopped reading at "Diaz brothers don't move the needle." That's super disingenuous.
1. The quote was "Nate Diaz isn't a needle mover."
2. At that time Nate Diaz wasn't moving any needles.
3. The quote came after the lowest rated Fox card ever which was headlined by Diaz vs Benson for LW title and Diaz got wrecked 50-43 on 2 judge's scorecards.

Dana does enough stuff to get flamed all by himself. No need to spin things negatively when he actually tells the truth.

That was also used for Nate after the Conor fight when there was obvious public/casual interest in Diaz after that fight. They were using old metrics and not the new current interests for him. Diaz was smart to hold out and he got paid his worth and he did prove to be a needle mover even without Conor.

 

[gluehuffer1776]

This is just my own (long form) opinion, mixed with personal experiences, so I'll start with that disclaimer.

Over the years, Dana has always found an avenue to downplay a fighter's worth when it comes time to negotiate. The truth is secondary. The Diaz brothers "don't move the needle", for example.

In the case of Francis, I believe it has very little to do with the fighter himself, other than him being told what he's actually worth by people outside of the UFC's influence that do know what he's actually worth, and more to do with Dana & Co's long and rocky history with said people.

Francis is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). For those of you that don't know, CAA has represented a lot of top UFC fighters over the years, starting long before the WME buyout.

Also, CAA and WME have been bitter rivals since the formation of CAA, by five former WME agents, in 1975.

Some of the most notable names on CAA's MMA roster have included, but are not limited to: Cain Velasquez, Rory MacDonald, Georges St. Pierre (and his coach, Firas Zahabi), the Shevchenko's, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, TJ Dillashaw, Kevin Lee, and Tim Kennedy.

Since the beginning of CAA's dealings with UFC, there have been quite a few bumps in the road when it comes time to negotiate a new contract for a lot of CAA's most popular fighters. The biggest example obviously being GSP, and a constant one since they began representing him all the way back in 2008.

Dana recently stated that he places the majority of blame on Ngannou's agent and agency in not easily being able to come to terms on a new deal. His claim is that "this is what happens when you get a guy that's repped by an agency that isn't soley an MMA agency; they have no idea what they're talking about".

However, he doesn't seem to feel the same way about the roster of UFC fighters repped by WME's own talent division, whom had only one fighter on their roster prior to purchasing UFC - Ronda Rousey, signed shortly after her first UFC fight in 2013.

Not to mention that he's dismissing the fact that, although CAA represents all forms of entertainers (as does WME), they have been representing UFC/MMA fighters (prospects, title contenders, and champions) for more than a decade. At this point, CAA is very familiar with the business side of MMA and UFC, and very much know what they are talking about.

In all fairness, Dana has dealt with plenty of agencies outside (and within) the MMA bubble that are content to just ride the current. So, those agents and managers helped set his expectations.

For example, I was lined up to film and distribute a documentary series that featured, individually, some of the cast members from season one of The Ultimate Fighter, well known UFC fighters, as well a number of non-UFC fighters. It was set to begin production shortly after the TUF 1 finale.

The first TUF cast member I had on board was Stephan Bonnar. When Stephan and I first began talking about it, money wasn't really on his mind; he had just been awarded a "six figure contract" and was simply interested in the concept of my proposed series. He was going to be fairly compensated, and he knew that.

A couple months after Stephan and I started talking, he was approached by and signed a deal with a major sports agency - Sports Entertainment Group (SEG). Stephan gave his agent my contact info, and I received a call shortly after.

Stephan had already told me how much he was being paid to fight, so I wasn't surprised when the agent was looking for similar numbers for Stephan's involvement in my series. He was the first MMA fighter that they had signed, and he was going into his first UFC contract, so the agent didn't have much else to base his expectations on. He was content to just ride the current.

I was fine with the numbers from the agent. In fact, they were actually less than what Stephan would've been paid by me for his involvement in the series. Based on my own conversations with UFC, to secure various permissions and licenses for my series - which did eventually get worked out - they barely wiggle, let alone budge. That was when UFC was just getting back on the map, I can't even imagine what those conversations would be like now.

Anyway, I digress, I'm not here to talk about the series, that's just an example to point out, from my own personal experience, the types of "MMA agents" that Dana is comparing CAA to. And although SEG fit that bill, they no longer rep MMA fighters, and haven't for a long time.

Either way, he likes the ones that are willing to just go with the flow to ensure a consistently solid relationship with UFC itself, but CAA has never been that way, and isn't willing to just accept whatever offer hits the table.

Now, one could argue that CAA playing hardball has a negative impact on their fighters, but with the exceptions of a few non-CAA fighters like Ronda, Conor, Anderson, and Jon, one could also argue that it has lead to quite a few of CAA's fighters having rather successful MMA careers (opportunities).


TLDR - The majority of heated negotiations and fall outs with top fighters that the UFC has had over the years have revolved around Dana's 13 plus year pissing match with CAA, further escalated by WME's purchase of UFC; mostly due to CAA being concerned more with their clients' best interests than those of UFC and WME. Which is exactly what anyone, in any industry, should fully expect from the agency that represents them.

Big thanks to anyone that read the whole thing.

Fun Fact: For all of you that are unsure why Dana is giving Jake Paul so much attention - Jake's "Warlock" manager that Dana mentioned recently is UFC's former Chief Financial Officer (2011-2016), and both Jake and his brother, Logan, are clients of WME's talent division. Logan was signed to CAA prior to joining his brother on WME's roster - It's all relative.

feels like this post was written by francis agent

 

[FIghtxIQ]

Boxers clout chasing mention Ngannou when they know fight cant happen...but then whats Ngannou actual value? He isnt the PPV draw he thinks he is, not that selling 350k isnt worth anything, but that isnt worth millions in purse either.

The fight can happen now, they were trying to build interest for that fight and do a cross over fight but UFC wouldn't allow it. Ngannou is calling them out now because he's going to boxing or having boxing fights included in his contract if UFC agrees to that. If they don't he's switching to boxing. Boxing numbers aren't super high because the focus usually is only on the main event. It's not like UFC where they stack the card. 350k are great numbers for boxing events. They already make multi millions for numbers like that and lower.

 

[kflo]

1

1,000,000% this. Plus, since there's such a cult of personality around Dana, he has all these fanboys that believe he's some sort of genius businessman and gets defensive when he's criticized. I posted something similar to this a few months ago, and I got a LOT of hate from them.

Also, there's nobody left to critique the UFC anymore. They're not mainstream enough to draw attention from major media outlets, and since they're partnered with ESPN, they get the same propaganda treatment that the NFL gets. The only outlets that are critical of them are little MMA websites like Sherdog, MMAFighting, etc, but they're small voices in the wind, comparatively.

Do you see a lot of media coverage about major golf and tennis tournaments paying out less than 20% of the revenue to the players?

Anyone in Dana’s role will have the same job of maximizing value for shareholders.

 

[G10]

Do you see a lot of media coverage about major golf and tennis tournaments paying out less than 20% of the revenue to the players?

Anyone in Dana’s role will have the same job of maximizing value for shareholders.

Mainstream/corporate media still break major news in NFL, MLB, and NBA. I don't think they cover UFC or MMA much, if at all, because it's still largely perceived as a fringe sport.

As for golf and tennis players, they don't risk life-long injury and death every time they compete. That's something that a lot of us fans take for granted; fighters legitimately risk death every time they compete. The risk is mitigated of course, but it would not take much for a fighter to die in there. They're all adults and they're making a choice, but it's insulting to think that a guy could die in there for a few thousand dollars.

Lastly, about your last point, I halfway agree. There's nothing illegal or necessarily wrong with how they treat fighters, although I personally think it's greedy and short-sighted. I just believe that it's better for the long-term health and success of the sport if fighters were treated as world-class professional athletes.