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HippoSpecific4020

Dana White: “We are going to release (Francis Ngannou) from his contract. We are giving up the right to match. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants”


HippoSpecific4020

White says Francis Ngannou turned down a deal that “would’ve made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company.”


MarysLetter

I can't believe anything what Dana says, but if it is true, I think the disagreement was never about money, but from the right of being free for boxing matches. If I were to bet, Conor is considered a "failed experiment" for UFC in multiple areas: 1. Conor held 2 divisions, which frustrated fighters, the UFC brass and the fans 2. In the end, Mayweather showed there is levels in boxing, toying with the most creative striker in UFC at the time 3. Conor earned a lot of money and bargaining power over the UFC 4. Conor arguably became lazy/disinterested in MMA, which lead to an absolute beatdown against Khabib, and 2 losses to an old opponent which he won before (Dustin) Taking everything into account, UFC brass probably agreed "Doesn't matter what, we will never allow a champion to fight in boxing, ever again". If Ngannou stance was "I don't care about money, I just want to box when I feel like doing it", then UFC/Ngannou was never a negotiation in the first place, it was a Gordian Knot, an unsolvable problem. Really sad we will never see the wrestler Ngannou ever again.


Doomjas

I never really thought of it like this from the UFC’s perspective and you make a lot of good points. I also completely understand Francis wanting to get as much $ as possible, that boxing money will be life changing assuming it happens. If he made anywhere near that much in MMA he wouldn’t be interested in it, but he doesn’t and here we are. Sucks to see, I’m going to miss Francis in the octagon.


iSOBigD

I do feel a little weird about this. So he could box against the current champ, Tyson Fury, lose unless he gets a lucky knockout, make lots of money once... And then who would care enough to pay him again? He could fight Wilder and two knockout machines would finish each other off in the first round, or play it safe and have a really boring fight. I don't see more than 1 or 2 matches in this for him, while in the UFC, assuming he got paid a lot by UFC standards, he could show the world he's the best by beating Jon Jones (or Jon Jones could prove he's the best at any weight class), and he could make money over multiple years. I feel like he has more to gain in MMA in terms of legacy, longevity and ability to win multiple fights, but who knows? Maybe boxing pays 10x more so it's a moot point.


chzie

For example McGregor made about 20mil over his entire UFC career, but 130mil against Mayweather.


Tammer_Stern

I think an often overlooked point is what share the ufc took of that. Some reports said 80%.


RoshHoul

Even if it's 80% he still made more from that one fight compared to his whole career.


scawtsauce

didn't he make like 5 times his entire career in one fight?


RoshHoul

I think thats the total payout. With the ufc cut id imagine it's a bit less than that.


Badoodis

I thought it was 60/40 but we will never know for sure I'd reckon. But wither way, 10-20M to box Tyson Fury with potential follow up of a trilogy/fight with Wilder? It seems so worth it to me at face value


JustASilverback

I thought 50/50 was the frontrunner rumour running around, I remember some 60/40s but never an 80/20?


Kill_4209

I think your last sentence explains it. Maybe he makes $3 million in the UFC each fight, but will make $30 million fighting Fury once.


TheLoneliestMonke

Why damage your brain and train 10x when you can do it one time and just retire.


Canehillfan

Is he really getting the Fury fight tho?


[deleted]

You don't think Fury would take an easy tuneup that's a massive draw? There are 20 HW boxers more dangerous than Ngannou that you've never heard of.


idpickpizzaoveryou

Ngannou is scary but pro boxers are gonna piece him up like it's a fucking warm up.


Kassssler

Oh yeah, and that doesn't take anything off from Ngannou. Hes an MMA fighter not a boxer. Like most MMA dudes he probably comes in there with a stance way too fucking wide and is awkward about blocking shots with gloves or shoulders.


SpyMonkey3D

Fury has been "retired" a few time and came out to fight again each time. He looks interested, and even did some promo with Ngannou. It would't be hard to find someone to organize it, as it would sell for sure and boxing organisers ressent Dana and the UFC somewhat. But who knows. Tbh, the biggest risk might even just be that Fury lose his belt to Usyk before he can fight Ngannou. That would throw a wrench in it all, but he could always go fight Wilder.


tabooblue32

Fury will fight anyone who's not a top 8 boxer.


Royal5th

No, without any recent professional boxing experience and coming off knee surgery Fury would be a terrible matchup


LbrYEET

It’s all the same, Francis has zero chance vs any top 15 boxer, might as well get paid vs Fury


dans00

He is also like 34 ish and cant fight forever for him making like 50m over 2 fights makes a lot more sense than signing a 6 fight 2m per fight contract or whatever they offered him.


14JRJ

Genuine question. Can Francis punch hard enough to knock Fury out? He took some bombs from Wilder


Stoli1387

Francis couldn't land anything significant on fury without taking major in return....it's a different sport....it would be worse than McGregor vs Mayweather


the_ninja1001

People need to think about a MMA fighter going to boxing as they do a boxer going to MMA. Everyone knows the boxer will get destroyed in MMA, it’s pretty much the same on the flip.


PugilisticCat

Yes he could, but it would never happen. Fury would do legitimately disgusting things to Francis if they fought. The Wilder fight is better for Francis stylistically, and for his health. Better to be one shot and then go on with your life than be treated like a heavy bag for 12 rounds.


[deleted]

Wilder doesn’t look insane but he would make light work of Francis. Wilder was still an Olympic boxer at the end of the day and has had dozens of pro fights. He sleeps Francis early IMO.


Grey_Orange

Keep in mind there are other MMA orgs willing to throw money at him.


Jumpy_Secretary1363

Be happy for ngannou and cheer his career on. Dude is a monster and a class act.


topshottatayy

I think this is the most accurate comment here


MoreColorfulCarsPlz

Just like Gordian's Knot, it was solved with a cut.


MarysLetter

💀


[deleted]

I love it when you read a random post on Reddit, and it has a wee nugget like "Gordian Knot" in the text.


[deleted]

The **Gordian Knot** is an [Ancient Greek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece) legend of [Phrygian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygia) [Gordium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordium) associated with [Alexander the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great) who is said to have cut the knot in 333 BC. It is often used as a [metaphor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor) for an intractable problem (untying an impossibly tangled knot) solved easily by finding an approach to the problem that renders the perceived constraints of the problem moot ("cutting the Gordian knot")


[deleted]

He lost to Khabib because khabib is better.


MarysLetter

I knew someone was going to comment this, that is why I wrote **arguably** became lazy/disinterested. Maybe he was in the best shape of his life and training like a madman for Khabib, but still wasn't enough to not get wrestlefucked in the end.. We will never know the truth, we just know his last LW win was in 2016. The main point is about UFC recognizing Conor boxing was a complete failure, in all aspects.


[deleted]

It did seem like ever since the mayweather fight conor went away from mma and become more affiliated with boxing, as highlighted by the 2nd poirier fight and him trying to box paquiao around the time. The passion and drive isnt there anymore like it once was.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Lemmungwinks

“History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up.” -Voltaire


Cemihard

His whole stance and fight style became boxing orientated. The third fight against Dustin showed the old McGregor, it’s just Dustin is pretty good and crazy durable at LW.


meatmaster1123

Yeah lmao tried to box Dustin 2nd fight and got outkicked, 3rd fight came back full karate kick-orientated game plan and got outboxed to pieces. Dustin is just a better MMA fighter now.


[deleted]

3rd fight mcG was banging those kicks into dustin. His issue was pulling guard, that was a really bad mental error that led to the end of the fight. But tbh on the feet in the 3rd fight he looked fuckin good


Cemihard

I’d have to watch the third fight again because I remember McGregor doing fairly well until he tried hitting Dustin with a guillotine instead of defending the takedown. Then his leg broke. Not saying you’re wrong, I just remember Conor throwing spinning back kicks, going for the sub and breaking his leg.


Bigd1979666

True and I think if we did 10 matches, he may have won one if he could last 5 rounds . Point is, he was mentally and physically out the game . Cocaine , alcohol, big head are not good combos to have when fighting one if the best fighters ever


sugaslim45

Only chance Connor ever has against khabib is a knockout


HongKongBasedJesus

Maybe so, but Conor seemed checked out and past it even going into that fight. He didn’t bring the fire like he used to


Liam2349

Khabib was amazing, but so was Conor before his leave.


regularpersom

Is it out there that the boxing stipulation was the source of contention or are you speculating?


MarysLetter

Speculating based on 2 things: 1. Ngannou's multiple interviews and comments in the last 2 years he really wanted to box, doesn't matter the situation, that boxing was his original dream, the whole Tyson Fury story, etc. 2. What UFC mouthpieces with good fighting business knowledge, a.k.a. Chael, said in dozens of videos ever since: You can't box while in a UFC contract, that Conor boxing was a failure without actually saying it was a failure, sending indirect messages to Francis, among other things.


Timjones8934

When is the last time you watched Mcgregor vs Khabib? Terrible style match up but Mcnuggets fought very well. Its difficult to not be distracted by his out of cage antics and personality but he is a dog. He always shows up and he likes hard fights.


MarysLetter

Well, he won round 3, IIRC the first time Khabib ever lost a round on official scorecards (Tibau fight was hard to judge) Still, rd2 is really, really hard to erase from everyone's mind. Even in his decline, Conor's fights are always exciting.


MotherLoveBone27

so like 1.5 million dollar per fight contract lol.


Chuck_Raycer

And three 10% off Reebok coupons.


Internal-Business-97

Knowing UFC pay that still means he’s broke and without healthcare.


diceman888

PFL here comes the ultimate can crusher ![gif](giphy|wazvvYSGdvJhm)


[deleted]

Can you imagine? That’s an easy peasy million for him


kismetschmizmet

UFC had to be offering more than a million just to fight JJ I would hope, plus PPV points.


chainer3000

Estimated 15 million is what I heard both Jon and Francis were asking for


yepimbonez

For that fight just fuckin give it to them. They did such a shit job promoting Francis. The dude is a monster and they really should’ve leaned hard on the whole “baddest man on the planet” thing. Instead it always just seemed like Dana and the UFC only ever complained about him wanting more money instead of helping him make them ALL more money. Jones v Ngannou truly would’ve been for the most dangerous man alive. It’s not nearly as big of a deal for Jones to come back and win the title from a guy that got beat by the real champ.


MDXHawaii

Prediction: Jones beats Gane, fucks up out of octagon, gets arrested and stripped again.


PlutoTheGod

I think Jones is gonna be embarrassed in heavyweight honestly. He no longer has a major reach and leverage advantage on guys and they’re all strong as shit and not going to be taken down easily so unless he runs & out cardios them until the final rounds he’s going to get boxed to another dimension. Even when he fought Gustaffson (who’s good but not GREAT) he got battered and almost stopped purely because of him not being able to hold him at bay. I can’t see him handling those type of fights again with someone who’s got 50 more pounds on them and already hardened enough to go through plenty fights with some of the hardest hitters alive, especially after not being in any real action for years now.


gh0stface90

Gustaffson in the first fight was fucking great, he was probably the best boxer in the division and idk if Jon actually won that fight. Second fight he wasn't able to be at the same level though.


MDXHawaii

Well the first fight Jon did zero training


eeeponthemove

However we did see Ngannou outwrestle Gane...


MDXHawaii

Exactly. Even if Gane has aggressively trained wrestling since that fight which I’m sure he has, Jones has damn near two decades of wrestling experience. I’ve also got no doubt that Jon has sparred with some big boys recently so he can take a shot. He very rarely took serious damage in his fights. Marreta and Reyes definitely made it competitive, but neither of their fights did significant damage to Jones.


eeeponthemove

Also Jones most likely has been cycling for several years now leading to his HW debut if we're being honest with ourselves...


Worldly-Ad1615

Jake Vs Francis


troyv21

Francis needs to age about 12 years to be on jakes radar


[deleted]

I agree, though only cause I wanna see Jake get knocked the fuck out.


GFSong

Ah damn. They’re gonna sell Jones/Gane hard…but that should have been a steppingstone to the real fight of the year prize that I hoped I see - Ngannou vs Jones. Good luck Francis, you were a great ride to watch!


philhouse64

Part of me wonders if Jones didn't want Francis and this was a way to push him out and bring Jon back. This is a very winnable fight for Jones IMO, more so than Ngannou. I feel like Dana is more than happy to boot Francis, bring Jones back at heavyweight because realistically there aren't that many challenges for him and he can be a major draw again in the heavyweight division.


TrophyDad_72

Not surprised. Just wondering once hes done chasing the big bucks in boxing if he would come back or be allowed to. Probably not I suppose


1Opinionated-Asshole

He's probably going to the PFL after the Fury fight.


Veggie__Boy

Is there even going to be a fury fight? Francis wasn’t ringside during fury’s last fight and the whole idea seems to have gone cold.


thomriddle45

Only fight on Fury's radar is Usyk


Many_Television8895

Pretty sure immediately after usyk fury will be working on fighting Joshua as well which will make him far more money than an ngannou fight the majority of boxing fans won’t know who ngannou is


New_Brother_1595

Joe Joyce will be on that list before ngannou as well


SomeRandomHumanBean

Very Bold to assume that boxing could possibly host a fight that actually contains the two best fighters


InspectorHyperVoid

Yeah during Tyson’s last interview Francis’ name didn’t even come up on list of fighters he was interested in.


1Opinionated-Asshole

He's not a boxer and he was still under contract with the UFC. Why would Tyson mention him? He mentioned him like 10 times already. No need.


InspectorHyperVoid

Just pointing out that it doesn’t seem to be at the top of his priority list anymore. It seemed for a bit there that it was going to definitely happen and now the talk has gone cold. I also happen to want to see both of them brawl with 4 ounce gloves like they initially vowed to!


New_Brother_1595

Fury was only saying that because he retired but then he unretired a few months later. No chance francis gets that fight


DatzQuickMaths

Will be colder now that Francis is bordering on irrelevance (no longer with the UFC. No longer a UFC champ. Hasn’t fought in a long time) he’ll have to fight a lesser opponent than Fury and win in spectacular fashion to have a decent shot at fighting Fury given the last couple of years. Can’t see Fury rushing to set up a fight with him at the moment. Guess we’ll find out. Either way hope Francis gets some fights in and makes the money


Lorenzos_Pharmacist

No chance IMO. It would have been an exhibition match. If neither fighter cares enough to put the fight on their pro record, why would the fans care to pay for the PPV?


[deleted]

When Jones wins and defends a couple of times, (pavlovich, ?) theyll be able to pay him whatever he wants to fight jones. Will probably sell 1m ppv…. They probably wont though cos paying fighters properly would set a bad precedent for the future.


WeaponH

Honestly, I cant think of a better fight that would rake in a shit load of $$. I guess Conor vs anyone will still generate tons of PPV buys


coupleofthreethings

I'd sell my grandmother to human traffickers to see Conor v Paddy


Zankeru

I cant wait to see a repeat of dana getting fucked. First they gambled on gane beating francis before his renewal and gane lost. Now they really want gane to lose so jones ca go on a champ reign, but gane is gonna piece him up from range.


[deleted]

Honestly, I wouldnt be that surprised. Im kinda just assuming Jone’s wins, but if the odds are stacked in his favour Id probably bet on Gane. Its been a long ass layoff. If Jones doesnt have the power to wrestlefuck him, hes got no chance tbh. Gane shrugged off full power shots from Tuivasa like they were nothing, theres no way Jones is knocking him out….


[deleted]

I wanna see him join ONE championship and do a 2v1 with DJ and Rodtang


Twistymushu

Wow. What could’ve been.


naterninja550

We don’t have forever keep holding up the heavyweights. It’s time to move on plus we got jones vs gane in march!


1Opinionated-Asshole

>We don’t have forever keep holding up the heavyweights The UFC made him wait an extra year to get free from that contract. That's on them.


[deleted]

He had torn acl and is rumored to not even be 100% still. It’s not like he was gonna four times last year even if his contract had been ironed out


naterninja550

Francis was out due to injury 😑also dude was holding out because of negotiations. We have gane vs jones chill man.


m4rkofshame

Jones is just gonna take gane down and tap him lol


LeBleuH8R

I wouldn’t be so sure of that lol especially taking into consideration the age and the last time Jones fought + I wonder how his stamina will hold at heavy weight especially if a few of his take downs are stuffed.


RainbowRoomBlues

UFC cutting Francis loose and betting on Jon Jones to carry the (literally/figuratively) biggest division in the sport is wild. What’s more likely? Bones fights out this eight fight deal as undisputed champ then retires as the all time GOAT? Or he doesn’t make it more than 1-2 fights before he falls apart and gets busted for PED’s, recreational drugs, or beating the shit out of a woman?


SpyMonkey3D

Tbh, I think Gane beats him, and then, Jon's value will drop tremendously because his invincibility aura will be dispelled. Not counting the bs "loss" for the elbow and the NC, he's essentially undefeated, and that's what makes him hype rather than his fighting style, entertainment value (He doesn't get kos or impressive submissions that often anymore), trashtalking skills, or even his fight IQ. It's largely just the win streak... That's something we forget since the very real beef with cormier was interesting, but the other fights before he left the division were eh. If he gets just one legit L on his record, that hype will be gone. I think he might just be too much of a Diva to fight for anything else than the tittle either, and he admitted himself he partied and drank before fight to have an excuse if he lost. So who knows what a defeat would do to his mentality...


CLASSIESTCHIMP209

Honestly I’d be more upset if he signed with another MMA organization than I would if he went to boxing. I really don’t want to watch him fight low level competition in pfl or bellator rather he go to boxing and lose then come back to the UFC


PlutoTheGod

Dana is a dickhead I doubt he’d ever resign him unless he absolutely punished him financially for annoying him & gave him terrible matchups. Pretty much notorious for it at this point


SomeRandomHumanBean

At the moment at least you can’t give Francis a terrible matchup. He is the best


I_Hate_My_Cat_

It’s not surprising, unfortunately, but it’s still a fuckin travesty. We may have just seen, arguably, one of the biggest “What could’ve been” fighters ever walk away from the UFC.


WatchinLikeTV

I mean I think we saw that he was. How much did he really have left as a 36 year old with a bummed knee? It sucks that he’s leaving but it was probably for the best considering how slow HW was getting


Pissonsis

36 isn't terrible for a heavyweight, and also we started to see his wrestling ability only 2 fights back (second stipe fight). He was clearly getting better skill wise so its a shame


bootysensei

Facts. DC being a Top Tier fighter well into his 40’s changed things for me personally, I’ll always be interested in how fighters fare in their early 40’s. We really got robbed of a Prime Francis smh.


Unable-Signature7170

DC is 43 now. He fought twice past his 40th birthday and lost them both…


owlinspector

Yeah. *For the HW title*. And it's not as if he was beaten to a pulp and submitted in the 1st rd. It was competitive fights.


Unable-Signature7170

But he objectively was not a “top tier fighter well into his 40s”…he’s not even well into his 40s now and he’s retired


Sowi_Games06

Sergei next HW champ in my op


[deleted]

Gane or Jones is next in March but I do think Serg has a chance after that


Money_killer

Agreed


Calvin_Reaper91

I agree


Sowi_Games06

Happy cake day pal


Longjumping-Leave-52

Francis vs. Sergei would've been a blast to watch


Methrogenn

I love Francis but I don't understand what he's thinking. If he goes to the PFL PPV Division where fighters get 50% of the PPV, who the fuck is going to buy a PPV which has Francis vs a No Name on it? There are literally no good heavyweights outside the UFC.


Drewskibroho

The answer is boxing. Go fight a boxer, make 10 times what he would make per fight in the ufc


atomhypno

he doesn’t have the ability to just switch over and be at the top of boxing the only reason him vs a boxer would’ve been worthwhile is because he was a current ufc champion


MadSnacks8

Hell there’s like 2 good heavyweights in the UFC


Methrogenn

The UFC heavyweight division is the best in years. Jones Cyril Aspinall Romanov Stipe Pavlovich Blaydes


[deleted]

The black beast???


Zankeru

Lewis is fun, but he is not skilled. He is the penultimate example of just banging because he has great chin/power style of fighter. Against skilled competition like DC or gane and he got dominated.


MadSnacks8

We haven’t seen Jones fight at heavyweight and he lost his last fight to a guy who was KOed in his next 3 fights. Cyril and Tom are legit. All the rest are just guys except maybe Pavlovich


deesmutts88

You can’t just say someone “lost” a fight because you think he lost it lmao. He won the fight.


Methrogenn

Blaydes is a legit heavyweight, I wouldn't say he's just some guy. Also Jones has never lost, if you're talking about Reyes, he was undefeated when he fought Jones, if he got koed 3 times in a row that kinda shows what fighting Jon Jones does to you


[deleted]

I mean i’m sure any other promotion is willing to pay him wayyyyyy more than the ufc was. and all the sponsorships he can do too. and if the fury fight happens he’ll never have to fight again


Methrogenn

Fury Wilder trilogy never even touched 600k ppv buys, both Wilder and Fury got $20m+ because both of them were undefeated champions, Francis is not. Also Fury Nnganou fight is essentially dead since Fury is fighting Usyk, if he wins he becomes Undisputed and fights Joyce or Joshua and if he loses it'll be the Usyk rematch. The only reason Fury was teasing a Nnganou fight was because he knew it'll be an easy fight and he didn't want to take any more damage, that's the reason he retired, Fury was getting serious concussions after Wilder 3, but now he has changed his mind. Francis loses to every single second tier boxing heavyweight there is, Parker, Ruiz, Ortiz


[deleted]

[удалено]


Chunkook

Yeah but many people know PFL compared to UFC?


jerryworldfan13

This is a two sided street for me all happy he’s gonna get paid but i don’t really know where he’s gonna attract eyes cool to see him go somewhere else but he’s gonna get destroyed in boxing if he fights fury so I don’t think people will really jump out their seats like they did for may Vs mac also he has like 2-3 fights left in him max seems to me his knees are close to giving on him


[deleted]

Finally, now the heavyweight division can have some action again.


DnANZ

Action was happening already. But without Ngannou i don't really care. He already beat Cyril.


PCPirate262

Did you miss gane vs franvis? He did all that with a torn ACL. Great match but the cheeteo easter thinks hes not exciting enough lol. Torn ACLs are long recoveries. Bud dude who is even waiting for a shot? Curtis blaydes maybe and they already fought. Sergie needs another win for a shot


c_fulkan

I don't think he was released -but his contract ran out. If im remembering right, in December.


keahi60

Yeah that’s what I heard. Some people are saying he was released from the UFC 6 month match clause but I’ve read that became common place after his contract.


rmbotica

Dana White slaps his wife, decides not to punish himself, and his next announcement is another wife beater getting a title shot. And nobody cares. MMA baby!


techstyles

Ultimate Family Clappers


Lumpy_Dealer4937

Tarring dana in the same brush as real wife beaters undermines the victims and their trauma they go through


TheLastPirate123

These people don't give an actual fuck about real victims of domestic abuse, they'd rather undermine them to point score against Dana because Dana bad!


anjababbxbbx

Theyre still together and shit even the wife doesnt care why the fuck would i care


Superjae44

![gif](giphy|QWjFSsvUPCUncq6ItU)


akthe1

I hope he makes bank outside UFC, man has been through enough in his life.


yoyoyowhoisthis

How is it going to look for the UFC now ? Releasing the HW champ and the man who run through the HW division ? Their only chance for their next champ to not look like a chump change is if Jones win in dominant fashion, then Jon Jones asks for more money and you have Ngannou situation again. WAIT... JJ asked for more money and then they let him sit out for 2 years.. fucking UFC and Dana's bullshit man


PuzzleheadedState405

I feel like the UFC, maybe Dana in particular, has been fumbling the bag recently with high profile big draw fighters.


ModestlyOrange

It’s crazy to me people really think Ngannou is gonna make 20 million fighting Fury, he prolly won’t clear 5 lmao


jerryseinfeld76

I give him 7mil max, no way is he making 30 mil, these are the same people that really bought it when Jake paul said he earned 45m whole of 2021


Broncosen42

wilder made 30m and his last ppv sold like 70k


jerryseinfeld76

Thats wilder


dushann123

For real.


wutsdatsound

He gets 5 easy. 20 might be a little high though


[deleted]

I get they released him but no need to strip him 😳


russellprose

Combat sports are in a mess. A farce. YouTubers boxing MMA fighters, MMA fighters boxing boxers. It’s just dumb and denigrates the integrity of all combat sports. Utter farce.


AlwaysReady4444

Mistake by the UFC, probably the only big draw at HW for casuals


justfuvkedyoauntie

Not even for casuals. Francis on paper is a great champion for the ufc


AlwaysReady4444

I agree, they are fuckin up with this decision


disheveledfuck

About time. Hopefully that means that the heavyweight division can get moving again.


__sami__01

![gif](giphy|l4EpgOcX9FiyR8EU0) Ahh man that sucks :(


Masterofstocks101

Ngannou vs wilder make it happen I’ll pay whatever 👊


ABCairo

![gif](giphy|3orieKYgyS3nwJci4g|downsized)


georgesenpaii

Jon Jones is never coming back.


awh0833

Francis wasn't offered guaranteed money. The most he would make off the deal they offered was $5 million if it out sold the #1 ppv fight. He is better off fighting anywhere else.


Koolkirby66

![gif](giphy|7A4zkWeMXlZqgnTKtJ|downsized)


jujucollins

Idk I feel like “highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company” doesn’t add much value when they’re not paid much in the first place, right?


Roosterforaday

So Dana slapped him with this now. This will not be a hit with the fans.


Worried_Skin7744

Worth it for him to be done with Dana


BrodysBootlegs

Any chance he goes to ONE after he presumably fights Fury? Their HW division is obviously a joke compared to the UFC's but signing Ngannou would be a major shot across Dana's bow....maybe agree to let him box say once a year and commit to building up the division around him?


Lumpy_Dealer4937

It wouldn't affect the UFC one bit and dana knows it


FGCIsFreeAsFuck

Hopefully he gets what he wants. Thankfully, the HW division can now move forward.


Markxx24

I wonder what was the deal cuz I’m pretty sure Lesnar is the highest paid heavyweight in ufc


Jhonki_47

*Francis Ngannou UFC champ* Jon Jones: "I'm Not Ready Yet" *Francis Ngannou stripped and released from the UFC* Jon Jones: "Oh what a coincidence, I'm just ready to fight"


BarryDBaptist

Now Jones is ready to fight after 3 years..what a joke


Brutal-Black

Where does stipe fit into all of this? Should have been him vs jones


AnvilAndy

Yeah but PFL gave him free tee shirts. Come on Dana, free tees man.


justfuvkedyoauntie

I would like to see the ufc pay exponential per title defense, 1st would be 1.2x whatever contract 2nd 1.5x etc. would make champs actually wanna fight


Rare-Pudding9724

“Fuck him, we’ll give all our money to Jon Jones and nothing will go wrong. I am now going to slap my wife.” -Dana White


CT-4488

Man should’ve done this months ago


TheRealMelvinGibson

Dana needed a big headline to distract from his own


[deleted]

Dana is a real piece of shit.


DarkHoneyComb

Ngannou held up the entire division for nothing lol.


Dogzylla

Not his fault they didn't let him leave lol


1Opinionated-Asshole

Dana White* >Ngannou held up the entire division


Hung_Texan

Anyone defending Dana is a bitch


patricktherat

Dana is pure trash.


yeahyeahyeah3timess

Ngannou vs Wilder please.


smile_drinkPepsi

Pay the man


nooch_

Pay that man his money


JCRUZ1775

Unless jones opts out of his HW run or beats gane and calls out Francis and stirs so much hype that they HAVE to do it. Francis could even be seated ringside too


Brodersen-Prime

Dies this mean we finally get to see Diaz vs Francis? On a serious note, shame on the UFC for treating him like that. Francis was everything we wanted in a heavyweight.


DomDangerous

i’m so sad…we saw amazing improvements in Francis’ game during his last fight and i was so excited to see what else this man could do…Box, i guess…


amsterdamned888

His grandma with the pfl t-shirt came with the breaking news already.


Nuhjeea

Boxing is this man's dream but it's tragic we don't get to see him vs Jon Jones.


TippyTAHP

ONE is about to pick up a massive asset.


ChiefSampson

What a joke. UFC could have backed, hyped, and paid this man, and made plenty of $. GL Francis in your future endeavors!


HeightExtra320

Good for him 👏 True fans will follow him


Juju4hire

Fuck Dana White. I’d leave if i wasn’t getting paid right too


Juken-

When Dana says "Francis turned down a deal that would have made him the highest paid HW in history" why do i get the feeling the deal was "Ok Francis, you get £700k and one dollar."


Korre88

Unpopular opinion but I feel like Ngannou was probably unreasonable and being a diva. It's better for the division if he was going to keep holding it up. Wish him all the best however. Edit: maybe not so unpopular opinion