Fuck Dana White: negotiations, contracts, coke, and hookers

Why wouldn't they just pull the trigger right now? Regardless of what the contract says, it looks like Frank isn't going to be ready until next year anyway. That makes this the perfect window for Stipe vs Jones. Any other matchup just doesn't make sense. You can't just leave the division sitting idle with an interim belt hanging around; there's way too much at stake for that. Look at the facts: over the last five years, there was only one instance where we saw two title fights in the Heavyweight division back in 2018. That means we've averaged basically one title fight per year. It’s honestly pathetic.

Frank couldn't have picked a better time for a surgery involving a massive recovery period. 🙏

Masvidal and Diaz are absolutely killing it financially. Both guys are millionaires without ever even touching a championship belt. Of course, they’d both jump at the chance to scrap with Paul, but let's be real—losing that fight would seriously tank the UFC's reputation. Look, Askren was a wrestler coming off hip surgery, and T-Wood bailed for boxing after five straight losses, but what happens if Masvidal—who was fighting for titles just two fights ago—takes an L? That would wreck the credibility of everyone else left in the division. I honestly think that's why Dan is pushing Chimaev against Diaz. Borz would eat him alive like Jack Kraven, and if he then turned around and lost to Paul, the media would immediately spin the story that he's washed too.
Frank screwed them over, and now they're paying the price. Nice one, Frank. 🙏
If Diaz had any real grit, he could do exactly what Meshaw suggested to Frank: just take the Chimaev fight, go along with his wrestling, and tap out the second he gets crushed. Then he can just call it a day.

Thomas Morales8 said:Francis Ngannou's manager Marquel Martin says The heavyweight champion will likely undergo knee surgery "in March," followed by "9 to 10 months" of recovery.

Figures. Just when things were getting interesting.

Thomas Morales8 said:Francis Ngannou's manager Marquel Martin says the heavyweight champion will likely undergo knee surgery "in March," followed by "9 to 10 months" of recovery.

So, he's out for at least a year. Honestly, it could be longer because you have to factor in how much he can even train during that window. You've got the recovery time of 9 or 10 months, plus the wait for the actual surgery, and then once he's finally 100% and ready to hit high-intensity training again... man, we aren't seeing him for well over a year. I think he's around 35 now? It’s such a shame he didn't just take the win when it was right there. I don't think we'll ever see Ngannou Stipe again—maybe just Stipe JJ, if he even decides to fight at all. Same goes for the other guy.

The real question is what kind of shape Ngannou will actually be in after surgery and how much his body will let him push himself in camp. Even when he's ready and trained up, he's already gasping for air after just two rounds. It's a bummer he lost in my eyes. And if he decides to jump into boxing after he recovers... and there are still titles waiting for him... man, Ngannou, you really messed this one up.

If that’s how it plays out, we’re looking at another interim belt this year. The only real question left is who actually steps up to fight for it.

Interim Stipa won't be interested. It feels like JJ is just playing along to get a fight, especially since Lewis already made it clear he isn't looking for a five-round grind.. Show

I can already see how this plays out:

Dana White: "Stipe was always a close friend of mine; the media is just spreading nonsense"

😁

It’s honestly hilarious how Ngannou just pulled a complete fast one on Dan by announcing his surgery right now. Last year, they scrambled to set up an interim fight just because they were salty he wouldn't step into the cage within three months of grabbing the belt, and the whole MMA world was left scratching their heads. Now that Frank has unified the titles, they immediately need a new interim bout—and this time there's actually a legitimate reason for it. But since Derrick Lewis lost his interim shot and Ngannou is looking to unify, they have to figure out a way to involve two other fighters. It would be total nonsense to just pick one of them for a new interim fight right away. Basically, if Stipe or Jon Jones don't play ball, this whole thing is going to turn into a circus. You've got guys like Tom Aspinall and Tai Tuivasa just hanging around... 🤣

Guys, you’re getting ahead of yourselves. If only we actually got Miocic vs Jon Jones on the card... but I'm not holding my breath.

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The Light Heavyweight division is pretty mediocre anyway, doesn't really matter 😬

The heavyweight division is such a massive pain in the ass; seeing those monsters go at it is fascinating, I'll give you that. But honestly, you could count on one hand the number of fights from the last five or six years that actually left me breathless. In fact, I can barely remember any top-tier battles besides Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier in their second fight—most of the time, someone just gets murdered before the third round even starts, and that’s it. Sure, maybe something happens in those two specific bouts, but otherwise, nothing. Heavyweights are convincingly the worst division in the UFC. Over in flyweight, they've got guys like Henry Cejudo and a brunette fighter who practically deliver a Fight of the Year every single time they step in the cage. Same goes for LHW; it used to be the strongest division, and while it's gone a bit stale, it's still better than heavyweights. The heavyweights finally have some big names like Stipe, Francis Ngannou, and potentially Jon Jones, but absolutely nothing ever happens. We get maybe one title fight a year. 🥱

Most heavyweight fights are honestly about as exciting as two bulls locking horns and just shoving each other back and forth—it's basically a total yawn fest. I guess Francis falls into that boring fighter category too. The guy is strong as a rhino and has that brutal knockout power, but his fighting style? Just uninspiring. His charisma is basically nonexistent, and even outside the cage, he’s kind of a bore, just like Stipe Miocic. People like that can't pull in massive money like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and then whine about how they deserve more, especially since the UFC made a ridiculous amount off them.
Every company I’ve ever worked for made way more off me than they paid me, but hey, I was fine with the cash because, at the time, there wasn't anywhere else paying better. Plus, my downtime spent just chilling at home is worth a hell of a lot to me.
Basically, you get what you can fight for. If you aren't happy with how a company—in this case, the UFC—treats you, you're free to walk away and find luck somewhere else. Go join Bellator, ONE, PFL, or some boxing leagues; go try to make more money there, but man, don't sit around whining, like, "Give me more, I earned it."🙂
Mirko Filipović, regardless of how you look at it, was always straight up. He didn't cry about his contract after signing it. Sure, he was stingy during negotiations and always tried to squeeze out every cent, which is totally fair and makes sense, but once the ink was dry, he didn't go around weeping that the UFC or Pride FC made ten times more off him than they paid him.
He knew that, at that point, he couldn't get more money anywhere else, and I think Francis knows that too. Honestly, boxing isn't really an option for him. He doesn't strike me as a top-tier boxer, even by MMA standards; I mean, maybe it's just me, but it feels like they invented boxing just because fighters are technically worse than Deontay Wilder. Or maybe I'm just tripping.
Also, fighting some famous YouTuber isn't happening either. I mean, come on, there aren't many world-famous YouTube celebs who are 6'4" and 260+ pounds looking to box a guy who could probably knock out a horse with one shot.🤣
Maybe he could try WWE🤷 but I don't really see him as much of a showman.
Bottom line, losing Francis won't hurt Dan's status at all, no matter how much some people are freaking out or hoping he'll finally jump ship. In a year, it'll be like Rosholt leaving. Dan clashed with Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, who are way bigger names, and I don't see his position being shaken one bit.
It'll be easier for people once they realize that for the bosses at the UFC—and honestly, the bosses at any organization—this business model is what matters. They don't want to be like the NBA or boxing where the stars hold all the leverage; they want to be more like WWE.
The reason other organizations sometimes offer better deals is just to lure fighters in, not because they actually care about strengthening fighters' rights. They obviously use that as a marketing weapon against the UFC later, but if they were in the UFC's shoes, they'd do the exact same thing.
Honestly, I don't feel bad for any of these fighters, whether they're at the top or the bottom. I don't see why anyone should stress over whether they get paid big or not. These are all people who voluntarily chose this lifestyle. If they end up with permanent health issues because of that choice, well, tough luck. Two-year-olds get cancer; life isn't fair.

Comparing a regular 9-to-5 to being a cage fighter. 🥱

They sign a predatory contract at the start because there isn't any other option. Once you make it, you're stuck fighting under those same restrictive terms for your next few bouts. If you don't like it, just go join another organization, right? Lol, please. Even GSP has been retired for five years and still can't compete. Screw that; you deserve more.

Dammit, look at the NBA—every single sport has seen salaries skyrocket alongside their growth, whether it's football, boxing, or any major global sport. Only the UFC hasn't kept pace, and nobody has ever managed to explain why to me. And yeah, sure, we're talking about WWE, which obviously isn't even a real sport. 🤦

Instead of going in circles about this, let's just wait and see how long this lasts. Even now, the biggest stars are fighting less frequently. Franjo pulls one fight against Tyson Fury and he's already made more money than he would have in his next five fights in the UFC, so we'll see what happens to everyone else.

Well, they're in the middle of negotiations right now. The old contract expired, and the whole conflict stems from what comes next with the new one. 🤔

Beyond that, fighters really need to be careful about signing too many fights at once, even if it does offer some financial security.

Obviously, competitors aren't going to offer better terms out of the goodness of their hearts; it's all about self-interest. That's just how market competition works.

What exactly are you guys looking for here? Why all this hate toward the heavyweights?
Of course guys weighing 260 lbs aren't going to be dancing around and flurrying like flyweights. They physically can't, and honestly, it wouldn't be easy even if they tried. That's the whole point of the division—it's interesting because one single shot can put someone out cold. We don't expect them to show off insane technical wizardry or bounce around the octagon like track stars.
You can't judge every weight class by the exact same standards.

haha Dan looked slow as hell here😬

It isn't just about size; it's about the level of competition. Heavyweights are a minority even in countries with high growth rates, and in most parts of the world, they barely exist at all. This creates a situation where, just like in Francis's case, being physically powerful is practically enough to succeed. In a lower weight class, someone with Francis's raw strength would never make it with such amateurish technique, because in every small town, you can find guys just as strong who actually know how to fight.

Essentially, if you're in a division with massive competition, you have to be a much more complete fighter than you do in a division where the talent pool is shallow.

So, I caught Ariel's interview, and now I'm feeling pretty conflicted about Francis again.

He mentioned meeting up with Dan privately, saying they had a decent talk and maintain a good relationship outside of business. On the professional side, he claims they offered him serious money, but says that isn't the deciding factor. He won't get specific about what actually matters, just some vague stuff about respect, following his dreams, and not looking back.🤔

If that’s really the case, it feels a bit immature. You want a contract with a company, you want them to pay you what was agreed upon, but you also want the total freedom to do whatever you want? It doesn't work like that. You can't have a one-sided commitment; they have interests to protect too.🤔

I mean, he can't seriously expect MMA to operate like boxing, where you just negotiate fight by fight. That’s not how any major organization in this sport functions.🤔

I'm just speculating here, but maybe he wants to go out and scrap in boxing instead. If that's the goal, then staying in the UFC doesn't seem like a long-term move anyway. And if they actually did offer him a massive payday, you can't really blame Dan for that.🤔

bluemason3 said:They are currently in negotiations because the old contract expired, and the whole conflict stems from what comes next in the new one.🤔

Beyond that, fighters need to be careful not to over-commit themselves in their contracts, even if it provides some sense of security.

Look, I’m not just talking about Francis here; I mean this generally. Besides, it’s not like he’s whining about how much he "deserves." He simply has his demands, and if the UFC meets them, great—if not, he’s ready to look at other options. Which is completely legitimate.

I don't know the exact mechanics of how these deals work, but from what I understand, the UFC usually signs people for at least 4 or 5 fights. If you sign a deal like that and suddenly become a superstar after 2 or 3 fights (take Khamzat Chimaev, for example), do you end up fighting for scraps, or does the contract scale up if you hit certain milestones?

@bluemason3/">@@bluemason3

Of course, it's all about the money; he just doesn't want to say it outright so he doesn't come off as greedy. At least, that's my take, especially since he works so hard to maintain that humble, good guy image. And I suspect he wants that one boxing match, which isn't an impossible ask right now—Ariel mentioned that in an interview.

Let’s just pause for a second and try to picture Ngannou stepping into the ring with Tyson Fury. Honestly, I can already see it being an absolute embarrassment to watch.

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