Media UFC throwing Francis under the bus; Francis responds

[Captain_Dammitt]

It's strange to blame him for a fight never happening when the promoter had both under contract for several years.

Yeah but Francis was only champion for 10 months. Do you really expect Jones to go to HW and NOT fight the champ? That doesn't make sense. I don't want to get off topic and get into this whole who ducked who argument that is bs anyway. The entire MMA community wanted that fight and it will never happen, sadly.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Do people really care about this?

Is it "care" or just a bunch of

Until some idiot tries to explain why it's actually correct, then becomes

 

[avenue94]

Yeah but Francis was only champion for 10 months. Do you really expect Jones to go to HW and NOT fight the champ? That doesn't make sense. I don't want to get off topic and get into this whole who ducked who argument that is bs anyway. The entire MMA community wanted that fight and it will never happen, sadly.

Ok, they had almost a year to make a fight and Ngannou has said he would have taken a 3 fight deal with no extension or tolling. That's more than fair.

You're also ignoring the reason Ngannou wasn't champ was because the UFC fucked the division with the stipe/DC trilogy.

 

[Captain_Dammitt]

Ok, they had almost a year to make a fight and Ngannou has said he would have taken a 3 fight deal with no extension or tolling. That's more than fair.

You're also ignoring the reason Ngannou wasn't champ was because the UFC fucked the division with the stipe/DC trilogy.

Well, technically Francis got the belt then probably signed to fight Cyril a few months before the fight so they had a little over half a year to make it. I honestly think Francis was more interesting in what he could do outside of the UFC than fighting Jones at that point. He had been displeased with the company for a while prior to Cyril fight. I think the negotiations took too long he was getting more interesting talks from the PFL.

The DC/Stipe trilogy was pretty important for the division and you're acting like Francis didn't need that time to get his game strong enough to beat either of them. DC would have tossed him around like he did Rumple and Stipe could have very well done the same as he did in the first fight if Francis fought around of the time of DC vs Stipe 2.

 

[Azure]

Is it "care" or just a bunch of

Until some idiot tries to explain why it's actually correct, then becomes

nah people on here seem genuinely hurt on Francis's behalf.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

nah people on here seem genuinely hurt on Francis's behalf.

Putting that PhD to good work, sir.

 

[StonedLemur]

You can't make this shit up.

The UFC is the most petty organization that ever existed sir.

 

[Private Whatley]

Let’s not forget the small issue of citizenship. Ngannou is a Cameroonian citizen and holds no other citizenship. He is in the US on a work or a visitors Visa. He has a limited time in the country and then he has to go back to Cameroon. He was in France as a migrant.

Just because you work somewhere doesn’t mean you are from there.

well said, and agreed!

 

[locust rising]

Petty AF

 

[avenue94]

Well, technically Francis got the belt then probably signed to fight Cyril a few months before the fight so they had a little over half a year to make it.

And who forced the Gane fight by devaluing Ngannou with an unneeded interim belt? The UFC

The DC/Stipe trilogy was pretty important for the division and you're acting like Francis didn't need that time to get his game strong enough to beat either of them. DC would have tossed him around like he did Rumple and Stipe could have very well done the same as he did in the first fight if Francis fought around of the time of DC vs Stipe 2.

It was a poison pill for a division to tie it up with aging, over the hill fighters on the cusp of retirement. I doubt Stipe was gonna beat Ngannou at the time given his age and how defined, but low margin of error his path to victory always was.

Bottom line, the UFC is primarily to blame for Ngannou-Jones never happening. They had both fighters under contract and couldn't pull off the fight because they were too cheap. Do you honestly think the either fighter would have refused it if the UFC offered a one-fight deal, no extensions, say $30 million total with winner getting the bulk of that?

 

[Young Calf Kick]

The UFC is the most petty organization that ever existed sir.

Agreed

 

[Donnybat]

lying about who the first Cameroonian to fight in UFC history is fucking stupid, especially in today's world where the answer is 1 click away and there's people like me who remember who Sokodjou was. what does the lie even accomplish? nothing. all it tells us is UFC is sour as fuck about Ngannou.

Exactly my point

 

[Captain_Dammitt]

And who forced the Gane fight by devaluing Ngannou with an unneeded interim belt? The UFC

It was a poison pill for a division to tie it up with aging, over the hill fighters on the cusp of retirement. I doubt Stipe was gonna beat Ngannou at the time given his age and how defined, but low margin of error his path to victory always was.

Bottom line, the UFC is primarily to blame for Ngannou-Jones never happening. They had both fighters under contract and couldn't pull off the fight because they were too cheap. Do you honestly think the either fighter would have refused it if the UFC offered a one-fight deal, no extensions, say $30 million total with winner getting the bulk of that?

Had Francis not been in the mix then who would have been a viable HW contender during the DC/Stipe time? No one. Who exactly was being held up in the division at that time? They were the two best HWs. You realize DC had beaten both guys that had just beat Francis and that Stipe had just beaten Francis before the first DC fight. So, DC just beat the long reigning champ, who just beat Francis. They rematched, because of course they would and a rubber match was inevitable. Francis would go on to win the title so what's the big fuss about at the end of the day?

Yes, Francis would 100% agree to a one fight deal with no extensions for $30 million but why in any sane would the UFC offer that deal to anyone? Francis stood a real chance at beating Jones. Do you think the UFC was going to give him $20 million and send him on his way with a win over the greatest fighter the company has without at least the chance of a rematch? How does that make sense? It wasn't about money with Francis, or so he says. Sounds like the UFC offered him a pretty generous contract before he left. $8 million a fight is nothing to scoff at. He wanted all of this extra stuff he was never going to get in the UFC and he didn't want to sell his morals. You saying that the UFC is to blame for this fight is partially true in my opinion but saying it couldn't happen because the UFC didn't want to give an unrealistic, short sited contract is not the reason why. The UFC brought him a pretty solid deal and had he beaten Jones I'm sure he could have renegotiated to have gotten higher pay. I'm also sure he would sell more PPVs than ever after that and his cut would have probably increased there as well. Now all we're going to get is a Fury boxing match and maybe a couple of more mma fights from Francis where he will beating the heads in of guys we've never heard of, all in the name of, what? Righteousness, being "for the fighters", being anti-"the man"? At the end of the day it sounds like Francis just wanted out of the UFC, wanted to box and wanted to feel like he was being treated with more respect, not to fight Jones.

 

[avenue94]

Had Francis not been in the mix then who would have been a viable HW contender during the DC/Stipe time? No one. Who exactly was being held up in the division at that time?

Pretty clearly Francis since he cleared out most of the top 10 while earning a title shot.

They were the two best HWs. You realize DC had beaten both guys that had just beat Francis and that Stipe had just beaten Francis before the first DC fight. So, DC just beat the long reigning champ, who just beat Francis. They rematched, because of course they would and a rubber match was inevitable.

Stipe's claim to being the best is kind of tenuous given Francis flattened him right after the trilogy. As for DC, in his prime I'd favor him. Post covid, back surgery and pushing his 40s, I wouldn't favored him.

Francis would go on to win the title so what's the big fuss about at the end of the day?

You're the one who claimed the UFC wasn't too blame for Ngannou/Jones never happening due to a short title reign of the former, and I've been explaining to you why that overlap was limited...

Yes, Francis would 100% agree to a one fight deal with no extensions for $30 million but why in any sane would the UFC offer that deal to anyone?

It would have left the UFC plenty of profit. Face it, out of Jones, Francis, and the UFC, the UFC was the one who wanted the fight least given they were only willing to pay peanuts for a fight that would do in the neighborhood of $50 million gross. Think about that for a second.

$8 million a fight is nothing to scoff at.

Paying half of the headliner less than 20 percent of event gross is something combat sports athletes should scoff at given the free market value of a headliner with a belt like Ngannou is the majority of event revenue.

Now all we're going to get is a Fury boxing match and maybe a couple of more mma fights from Francis where he will beating the heads in of guys we've never heard of, all in the name of, what?

Yes...because the UFC refused to offer a 3 fight deal with no extensions. AKA a business didn't want to employ an independent contractor in a lucrative business partnership because the deal was not perpetual (or at least potentially years long). Do you realize how insane of a worldview you have to have to think that's reasonable?

 

[Goutfather]

After Fury pounds his ass and his payday is divided up among his cronies Francis will be crawling back to Dana while also crying about PFL not coming through for him. Then he'll be receiving beatings for paydays, ala Bob Sapp, well into his 40s.

it sounds like maybe you’re a francis hater. but you’re probably right. i sure hope francis has a good friend looking over his contract, because these guys are always surprised at how little they’re taking home after everyone else gets a piece.

 

[Vespasian70AD]

While the African narrative with Izzy and Usman is kinda BS, it’s understandable with Ngannou. My completely baseless arbitrary standard is as follows: if you migrate from your home country at an early enough age to naturally lose your native accent and/or inherently develop the regional accent of the area to which you moved, it doesn’t count the same way. Ngannou escaped to France in his 20’s. He can have it both ways. Bisping moved to the States in his 20’s; is he no longer British?

I align pretty closely with your view on it. My post was more talking from the UFC’s perspective.

My baseless arbitrary standard is that once a person has spent more time in their new country than their old country, they are now of that new land. So Bisping is getting very close to being Californian.

 

[Redando]

Francis Ngannou is born in the town Batié.

maybe the UFC has a different map of Cameroon and doesn’t recognise certain towns to be in Cameroon.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

I align pretty closely with your view on it. My post was more talking from the UFC’s perspective.

My baseless arbitrary standard is that once a person has spent more time in their new country than their old country, they are now of that new land. So Bisping is getting very close to being Californian.

12 years is close to 32 years? Seems like 2 decades off.

And if he lives in America and is an American citizen all the day until he dies, he'll still be English. Cuz he's from England. Was born and raised there. That won't make him un-American, mind you. Cuz placement/citizenship is a different category that a bunch of Sherdoggers seem to often conflate, usually on purpose to support a bias.

Bisping is English cuz he's from England. Ngannou is Cameroonian cuz he's from Cameroon. I'm really not sure why people want to make this more difficult by calculating and comparing geographical times. It's a pretty simple equation on its own.

 

[Ladder Master]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/UFC-Series-1-Francis-Ngannou-Action-Figure/426359202

"Includes:
1 6.5 Inch Francis Ngannou Action Figure
2 Removable Heads
2 Sets of Removable Hands with UFC gloves
1 Cameroon Flag Accessory"

 

[Deleted member 587672]

Dana got henchmen right now, deleting Ngannou's Wikipedia entry and cutting video that he ever existed. NganWHO? Never heard of him.