UFC's rejection of signing top talent and lowball offers 2023-2024

HuskySamoan

HuskySamoan

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Maybe I'm banging the old drum but I feel like this should really be talked about more and brought to fans attention. The amount of world class fighters in 2023 and 2024 the UFC has passed up on or got outbid on that tried to sign is bordering on unbelievable.

Kyoji Horiguchi 33-5 (7-1 UFC), 33 years old. Rizin Champion...Tried to sign with the UFC and was turned down.

Salahdine Parnasse 19-2, 26 years old, KSW Featherweight and Lightweight champion ended up resigning with KSW, UFC didn't offer enough money.

Azamat Kerefov 17-0, 32 years old, ACA Flyweight champion. UFC turned him down.

Eduard Vartanyan 25-4, 33 years old, ACA tournament champion, former ACB champ. Hasn't lost in 6 years and it was a controversial decision vs a great fighter. They offered Eduard a contender series fight. (He just won a million dollar tournament)

Paul Hughes 11-1, 26 years old, Cage Warriors champ. UFC made him an offer but he waited out his contract to test free agency and signed with PFL who offered considerably more.

Cedric Doumbe 4-0, 30 years old, Glory Welterweight champion. UFC got outbid by PFL.

Baki Chamsoudinov 8-0, 22 years old, easily one of the best prospects in the entire sport regardless of promotion.

AJ McKee 22-1, 28 years old, former Bellaror Featherweight champ. Bellator offered more for McKee to stay.

Makoto Shinryu 17-2, 23 years old, CFFC Champ, Rizin contender. He got offered more to go back with Rizin and collaboration with Bellator.

There's tons of elite prospects who don't have the accomplishments or high profiles yet who slipped between the UFCs cracks too. Like Losene Keita (resigned with Oktagon), Razbahli Shaydullaev (signed with Rizin), Yryskeldi Duysheev (signed with ONE), Manoel Sousa (PFL), Sarvarjon Khamidov (Bellator) and the list goes on.

So just remember when you think you're watching the best vs the best, about 70% of what you watch is cheap chaff sold to you as the best and the truth is the marquee promotion, the NFL of MMA, the monopoly with all the best talent...really doesn't like spending money on top talent.

Just look at the bag of elite Russian talent and prospects PFL/Bellator has, arguably with Imamshafi Aliev, Khasan Magomedsharipov, Timur Khizriev, Ramazan Kuramagomedov, Murad Ramanzanov, Magomed Magomedov, Shamil Masaev, Movlid Khaybulaev, Usman Nurmagomedov, Alexandr Shabliy etc. They've arguably signed better Russian talent than the UFC. Wild. They don't even try man.
 
giphy.webp
 
Contempt said:
Has it occurred to you that maybe they were just demanding too much money to fight in the UFC?
Click to expand...

I know for a fact several guys on this list weren't demanding too much money. But beyond that, I mean, if an elite talent like Parnasse is offered 250k a fight, to fight for KSW...is it really "too much" for UFC to match? Arguably the best French MMA fighter in MMA right now, super young, super accomplished...appeals to a huge booming region. UFC is what, a 10-12Billion dollar company and they share like 13% of revenue with their athletes and you're asking if it's maybe the elite talent asking for too much fucking money? I find that ridiculous..
 
Not sure how I feel about this but I need the comforting words of a TKO PR poster to tell me how I should think

@markg171 please take a break from posting on Conor/Jones/slandering all who question the corporate talking points threads and tell me how to feel about this one. On the 1st page if you can: you know it is statistically the most viewed page so it counts for the most.

If you aren't free please tap @kflo in. Someone here is talking bad about daddy and it is upsetting me.
 
UFC is about signing athletes it can control
if you demand too big of a purse before signing, its likely the brass think they wont be able to control you. because their one aspect of control, money, doesnt work on athletes who have been paid more outside the UFC.

never forget that just over 10 years ago, Performance of the Night bonuses were $60k. now they're $50k, despite record profitability.
 
HuskySamoan said:
Maybe I'm banging the old drum but I feel like this should really be talked about more and brought to fans attention. The amount of world class fighters in 2023 and 2024 the UFC has passed up on or got outbid on that tried to sign is bordering on unbelievable.

Kyoji Horiguchi 33-5 (7-1 UFC), 33 years old. Rizin Champion...Tried to sign with the UFC and was turned down.

Salahdine Parnasse 19-2, 26 years old, KSW Featherweight and Lightweight champion ended up resigning with KSW, UFC didn't offer enough money.

Azamat Kerefov 17-0, 32 years old, ACA Flyweight champion. UFC turned him down.

Eduard Vartanyan 25-4, 33 years old, ACA tournament champion, former ACB champ. Hasn't lost in 6 years and it was a controversial decision vs a great fighter. They offered Eduard a contender series fight. (He just won a million dollar tournament)

Paul Hughes 11-1, 26 years old, Cage Warriors champ. UFC made him an offer but he waited out his contract to test free agency and signed with PFL who offered considerably more.

Cedric Doumbe 4-0, 30 years old, Glory Welterweight champion. UFC got outbid by PFL.

Baki Chamsoudinov 8-0, 22 years old, easily one of the best prospects in the entire sport regardless of promotion.

AJ McKee 22-1, 28 years old, former Bellaror Featherweight champ. Bellator offered more for McKee to stay.

Makoto Shinryu 17-2, 23 years old, CFFC Champ, Rizin contender. He got offered more to go back with Rizin and collaboration with Bellator.

There's tons of elite prospects who don't have the accomplishments or high profiles yet who slipped between the UFCs cracks too. Like Losene Keita (resigned with Oktagon), Razbahli Shaydullaev (signed with Rizin), Yryskeldi Duysheev (signed with ONE), Manoel Sousa (PFL), Sarvarjon Khamidov (Bellator) and the list goes on.

So just remember when you think you're watching the best vs the best, about 70% of what you watch is cheap chaff sold to you as the best and the truth is the marquee promotion, the NFL of MMA, the monopoly with all the best talent...really doesn't like spending money on top talent.

Just look at the bag of elite Russian talent and prospects PFL/Bellator has, arguably with Imamshafi Aliev, Khasan Magomedsharipov, Timur Khizriev, Ramazan Kuramagomedov, Murad Ramanzanov, Magomed Magomedov, Shamil Masaev, Movlid Khaybulaev, Usman Nurmagomedov, Alexandr Shabliy etc. They've arguably signed better Russian talent than the UFC. Wild. They don't even try man.
Click to expand...
Great post! UFC is basically determined to be garbage every way they can.
 
I can't say I'm surprised. They run an entertainment company that centers around sporting events, but it's not a sport.

They aren't trying to have the best talent as much as the most profits. They've figured out a more profitable way to run their company, where having the top, and most expensive, talent isn't as important as having a steady stream of guys willing to bang on tv.

After all, they also produce slap contests. We can't start taking them seriously as an organization or company now. Just watch the fights and be entertained. Don't expect this to progress to being a sporting league in the UFC.
 
Half these people are probably on something thats why they avoid the UFC (muhh conor & jon jones)

Have you thought they don't want to be famous and its just purely about money and 0% fame?
 
mudrubble said:
I can't say I'm surprised. They run an entertainment company that centers around sporting events, but it's not a sport.

They aren't trying to have the best talent as much as the most profits. They've figured out a more profitable way to run their company, where having the top, and most expensive, talent isn't as important as having a steady stream of guys willing to bang on tv.

After all, they also produce slap contests. We can't start taking them seriously as an organization or company now. Just watch the fights and be entertained. Don't expect this to progress to being a sporting league in the UFC.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no. I think there's value in spreading light in this issue. Obviously the UFC doesn't value talent as much as filling slots and realizes fans are literal morons that will eat whatever narratives they're fed like Raul Rosa Jr being some PPV main card spot because they're trying to sell him as the next Jon Jones. Or if Dana goes "how do we know if they're good if they haven't been in the UFC?" Mouth breathers actually buy that shit. It's cool to see other promotions offering fighters such sums, but it's important for fans to know, even if they don't like it, a kid like Parnasse is better than most of the top 15 at 145lbs in the UFC. If more fans cared about talent, they would sign these guys. And if they don't, it's good for more fans to care about great talent outside the UFC.

To me it's not a lack of understanding, but rather making a point of discussion on this topic every so often being important.
 
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