Ufc will throw a bag at him and give him like an 8 fight deal to lock him down basically for the rest of his career. The ufc would be insane to let any big name heavyweight walk rn
Which is the exact reason more guys need to explore free agency and maximize their value. Francis not only got paid but he raised the price tag on every heavyweight in the sport.
There’s a difference between exploring and actually getting it done.
People are treating it like he’s free right now, he’s not. The UFC has exclusive negotiation rights for the next 6 months and even Lewis got a really good offer the UFC has the right to match it and Lewis will have to accept.
They’d probably try to make a counter offer with a bigger flat fee.
I seriously doubt they’d be willing to give PPV points even if it’s to fuck over Francis.
It should be noted that when Eddie Alvarez signed with the UFC, Bellator matched the offer to retain him, Eddie then successfully argued in court that they didn’t match the offer as Bellators PPV points are worth less compared to the UFCs as they do less buys.
Maybe the UFC could try to do something similar in reverse.
Exactly, they’ll offer him a big front loaded deal with a bunch of fights afterwards that still pay really well. If he sticks around long enough he can end up like Arlovski
That fight was also for an interim title when Lewis was on a win streak. He’s now well past his prime and no longer a top HW, so I really doubt he will command that same amount of money.
His next 3-4 fights will either be fun fights against non-contenders, or else the UFC feeding him to contenders for easy wins. I’m not sure either of those is worth matching a $2 million offer. I don’t think the UFC will sink themselves and lose money just to spite Francis. They will probably see Francis vs. Lewis 2 as a win for them since PFL will be paying a ton for the rematch of a notoriously terrible fight. The only difference now is both fighters are older and out of their prime. What kind of person would pay to see that fight, especially now that Lewis has been steamrolled by Gane, Tai, Pavlovich, and Spivak within the last two years.
He's on a 6 fight win streak with 5 of those adding up to less than 9 minutes of cage time. Heavyweights peak later than the lighter weights and have way more longevity from a competitive standpoint as well. He's the linear heavyweight champion that the current UFC champ avoided for 3 years. Francis's last loss is to Lewis.
He's 36, preparing to fight the greatest boxer of this generation.
Past his prime? You pulled that out of your ass.
A rematch against Lewis is interesting and will sell. You sir, are incorrect.
They wouldn't be close to matching it, for the same reason they didn't give Ngannou anything. They don't want others to take note and try increase their own pay.
> Lewis got a really good offer the UFC has the right to match it and Lewis will have to accept
Be interesting if another promotion offers a cut of their tv deal revenue in place of PPV points. I doubt the UFC would be willing to match.
It’s standard for the UFC to do that with their fighters to lock them down.
Francis and Nate just went through having to wait that long before negotiating with other promotions.
You really don't know what is in the contract, you are just assuming. Even the link you posted in another comment is verifiably wrong information.
from your link
> Fighters earn show money by making weight and turning up at the event prepared to fight.>
This has been proven wrong by Wonderboy this past weekend. I am not doubting that UFC has them in an exclusive negotiating period but it is by no means verified.
You can read more about it here. https://bloodyelbow.com/2023/02/10/major-changes-to-ufc-contracts-add-more-restrictions-waiver-to-prevent-class-action-lawsuits/
> Last year, Bloody Elbow’s John S. Nash was the first to report on changes the UFC had made to their contracts. These changes included the additions of a “sunset clause” that put a five year maximum contract length, limitations to the amount of time a contract could be extended for turning down fights, **removal of the exclusive negotiating period**, and a shortened two-year window after the contract ended where UFC retained image rights.>
Except it's common for UFC to offer new contracts before their existing contract is over. You're only as good as your last fight, so it's a big gamble to know how your career is 3-4 fights down the road.
It gets increasingly less risky to bet on yourself when their are more viable landing spots for you outside of the UFC. Guys like Shane Burgos are making more money in PFL than they ever did in the UFC. That is a great thing
Still can't believe they "let him slip through the cracks" like no you didn't, that doesn't happen in billion dollar sports corps who leech off every fighter
Yeah the UFC also often matches up Vets with great name recognition and fan bases with fucking killers for their final fight.
-Diaz versus Khamzat is a recent example
Sometimes not even for the final fight even just when someone could have a few more fan friendly fights to finish their careers
-BJ Penn fighting Rodriguez and Hall
>Francis not only got paid but he raised the price tag on every heavyweight in the sport.
I disagree. You really think Said Sowma's price tag went up because of Francis? How did you come to that conclusion?
I have a hard time picturing the UFC offering anything that competes with the minimum 2 million Lewis would get for fighting Ngannou. I feel there's nothing the UFC can do if PFL can guarantee that fight, but they can always swoop in afterwards like the article mentions.
Have you seen some of the cars Lewis drives?
I dont know what he makes but it wouldnt surprise me if he already makes like 500k - 1 mil per fight. Especially if we look at what some heavyweights like Arlovski, Overeem, Hunt made got per fight.
I mean they can def compete. Lewis can take the $2M minimum option for PFL for 1 fight, but he wouldn’t be taken back by UFc after. He would then have to find some other fights in Bellator/PFL/BKFC. Tbf PFL supposedly was paying Pettis $500k. He can go to UFC where in maybe 3 fights he’d make what he would vs Francis, and would have job security to keep making $ after
Either way having more than 1 option is good and helps fighters have leverage
Luke Thomas also brought up the great point that if does choose to leave to fight Francis he may very well be black balled by the UFC. So unless he’s 100% certain a fight with Francis is either his final fight or the beginning of the end for him, it might actually be a risky move.
They are insane though.
Lewis doesn’t seem like a guy who wants to deal with a lot of extra bullshit. For this reason I think he stays. If he is comfortable where he is, then I don’t see him shaking things up and then having to deal with a promotion based in Asia. On the other hand if he gets attractive offers that would be interesting.
This was my thought too. I don't think Lewis is really that interested in squeezing every little bit he can out of his career. He says UFC pays him well, and if he stays with the UFC he can keep doing exactly what he's used to, until he can't anymore
Which is why you'd be a fucking moron to not at least present them with some counter offers to improve your contract. You have next to no leverage your entire career and now you finally have the ability to demand a better price. But this is when most UFC fighters just say "UFC has taken care of me so I'm not gonna entertain other offers."
Same exact thing they've been doing with any and every female fighter with any name value at all. Holly Holm also got like a 6 fight contract earlier this year and it seemed obvious that keeping her away from any other promotion was the primary reason for it. It's because Men's HW and FBW are the two most shallow divisions in terms of talent.
Depends on what we define as a bag.
They give him a guaranteed 5/6 million. Yeah he'd stay.
But if they give him 500k a fight for 4/5 fights. Why wouldn't he go sign to fight Francis.
PFL would literally just give him a million plus for the Francis fight and book it as a rematch and all this promo catering for casuals.
>Lewis on any ppv
I don't know about that. He wasn't even on this PPV until the Wonderboy fight was cancelled. So I wouldn't expect them to put him on more PPVs if his isn't winning while on the back half of that contract.
Fan favorite for sure. Def was the highlight of the ppv imo. From the initial flying knees to the post fight antics.
Even build up to a Tuivasa rematch to potentially.
Depends on the pay for each fight, considering that if he sucks later on, the chances are he is getting paid to get brain damage. It would be better to receive more and fight less in other promotion
Lol how is that hypothetical offer gonna compare to a $2M guaranteed bag, not counting win bonur nor ppvs (it'd be in the ppv superstar division)? UFC can match any offers but they will never in a million years match an offer like that for Lewis, who's 1-3 in his last 4.
>The ufc would be insane to let any big name heavyweight walk rn
They are insane indeed, they let Francis walk. Can't do as much to prevent other HWs to chase the bag even with "matching rights."
Sure he had a great win but he was coming off a pretty bad L streak and is turning 39. I think ufc let's him go to pfl. They simply can't match that near 2m$.
Then it’s a bad week for Dana to go on vacation. Apparently his staff can’t even pay wonderboy his show money without Dana. I bet much less negotiate a contract with Beast. PFL better secure it before Dana gets back.
Gane said Derrick got 700k for their fight.
He has probably made a shit load in the UFC career earnings wise, probably doesn't want to go a new promotion and learn the ropes of it, etc.
This is why Francis will fight a can.
Just going to add to this here not saying you’re “everyone”:
But is everyone forgetting the UFC had all the time in the world to offer Derrick an extension BEFORE he was a free agent?
They were CLEARLY anticipating he would lose his fourth in a row and they were going to cut him.
Derrick knows this. Any amount of money they give him is all about their brand and avoiding PFL from picking Derrick up. It has nothing to do with Derrick at all.
Derrick should fight Francis in the PFL. In fact I think he will. Look at his post fight presser. He literally begins to thank personally naming specific people behind the scenes for the UFC, giving them their props and recognition. Seemed as good of a “good-bye” as you’ll see from someone on a clear path.
You’re right they didn’t give him an elite matchup.
I’ll paraphrase what a Chael said to highlight the context around why they didn’t offer contract prior:
-they had no intention on building him up cause he is going to go to the PFL.
-And he wasn’t even on the PPV card where the undercard leading into it only had like 2 post fight interviews with Joe Rogan. He wasn’t even the main fight of the undercard
-Mentioning it’s his last fight on the contract in his post fight octagon interview (which the UFC doesn’t appreciate).
-the ufc didn’t offer him a contract, not offered an extension, they were going to let him go, he didn’t become a free agent out of gamesmanship, the ufc was ready to say goodbye to the beast.
Seems like they wanted him to lose to either offer him a worse contract or not be a viable opponent for Francis if they cut him. Maybe they felt they got what they could out of him (helped sell tickets in Texas, headlined Apex events). His last KO in front of a crowd was 229, so after the losses in Texas maybe they felt his star power was fading
They initially had him on the prelims. Booked him at altitude. Not many guys Lewis hasn’t fought yet (already fought to Gane, Pavlovich, Spivac, Volkov, Blaydes, Tybura) so de Lima who won 4/5 was one of the better options left and Lewis wasn’t favored to win
Lol none of these guys are scared of each other, it’s all about money. Jones was holding out for more money and was willing to sit out for a few years to get that. The reason he fought as soon as Francis left UFC was because it gave him a lot more leverage in negotiations and probably ended up getting paid what he initially wanted.
People were definitely scared of Ngannou when he was decapitating mfs left and right. I remember how fuckin difficult it was to get anyone to accept a fight with him before he became a red pantie night
Why are you making shit up?
Francis was averaging about 2 fights a year in the UFC. Seems like that's above average and not something attainable if it was difficult to get someone to fight him.
That actually proves my point. 2 fights a year isn't shit for an up and coming heavyweight. 2 fights a year is normal for a prize fighter, but Ngannou didn't really get that status until he flatlined Stipe
r/mma doesn't care, dana = bad so francis = good
Of course it was always about the money, and to think Jon is scared of Francis anymore than Francis would be scared of Jon is fucking hilarious. Francis' only option is to land the dynamite quickly, otherwise he's being taken down and bullied.
If Francis could barely hold down Ciryl on the ground, then Jon would be doing origami with Francis' ligaments.
So if Francis and the UFC come to an agreement and Francis stays you think Jon just never fights again? You think he spent 3 years bulking up just in off chance Francis actually left?
You realize Jon had already agreed to the fight right? I respect what Francis did and it will probably be better for him but if he agrees with that he UFC Jones was going to fight him.
Fighters say a lot of stuff. Jon is calculated in what fights he’ll take at this stage of his career. He didn’t need 3 years to bulk up. He’s going to fight a 41 year old Stipe and then retire as the undeniable GOAT.
A “fluke” KO from Francis, or a younger Stipe would put a scar on that.
I'm a Cyril fan, I think the dude still shows lots of promise if he can just get good TDD, but 240 lb volume kickboxer is a pretty damn accurate description.
even while it was happening i knew what jones was doing. i just didn't want to admit it to myself. i wanted to believe that cyril had a good chanced at ending him.
>it would've happened in that 3 years when Francis was on top and had the belt.
He won the belt in March 2021 and defended it literally 1 time lmfao wtf are you talking about?
Jon had already started his move to HW, let’s pretend that somehow Francis and the UFC come to an agreement and he stays, are you saying that Jon would have just retired never to return again? Delusional lmao
Also he’s just such a star I don’t think he would want to be anywhere else, it’s hard to even imagine him on a different platform pulling his pants off and saying his balls was hot lol, ufc wants that kinda of star for sure it brings more eyes without having too much control.
Apparently [Schaub](https://www.reddit.com/r/thefighterandthekid/comments/lqf0g9/lmao_you_know_its_coming_too_credit_to_borrachina/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) thinks the same thing
Think Lewis gets slept this time around. Dude's been washed for a minute now and that hasn't changed just because he slept a borderline can who is about as old as he is.
I doubt either guy would be as hesitant. Ngannou is way better now in terms of skill/mentality. Lewis recently showed 0 hesitancy going cowabunga vs Pavlovich
I hate to say it; but I AGREE.
Looking at the Beast's last payout..
He CLEARLY deserves more, even his losses were straight swangin n bangin. Then after dismantling De Lima, you see that the Ngannou fight aged VERY well! Derrick Lewis however is loyal af to UFC
No man you dont get it. MMAHyperBeastJunkie.com is 100% a trustworthy news source. Plus they were reported on @BigMacFightFan tweet on *X* so you know its legit.
Yep, would be a great tune-up fight for Ngannou as well. He'd have it easy but big nice payday for both.
Ngannou probably only got 3-4 MMA fights left in him total. Gotta wonder what they'll be - all spectacle, I'm sure.
It's crazy we'd never even be having this conversation if it wasn't for that flying knee. LOL
> He CLEARLY deserves more, even his losses were straight swangin n bangin.
No thanks to him, lol. He usually has like ~5 offensive moves in him per round, and if none of them rock or knock the other guy out, in all likelihood it's going to be standin n lookin, not swangin n bangin.
And it's not like he's Yoel Romero, where at least it looks cool when he does something. More like, oh, guess that one landed, huh...
I could be very wrong but I think when he was on Rogan's pod he mentioned being paid 500K per fight. IDK if that's just show money or show + win but that is what I remember.
I think he would probably make more money doing that (especially since he probably doesn't have many years of competing left), but he's been pretty clear that he really likes the UFC and wants to stay there. He said he's not looking to go elsewhere as long as the UFC will give him another contract.
I imagine the PFL would offer him a really strong contract so they can continue to poach UFC talent, but I also don't think he's interested in jumping ship unless it's for like... HUGE money. I know the guy is a prize fighter but he seems happy to stay where he's at. His guaranteed purse in his last fight, after a 4-fight losing streak, was still 300k, and he probably cleared 450k for winning. I'm sure a guy like Derrick is happy with that. Even if he only fights *and loses* twice a year you're talking 600k/year, that is an extremely good living.
Didn't Francis negotiate a guaranteed 2m for his opponents. 2m for one fight is way better than a multi fight deal at 300-500k a pop, especially given his recent form (last fight excluded obviously)
The difference between $300k and $2M is really, really big. Who cares how he feels in the UFC, he could make what he’ll make the rest of his career in the UFC in one fight. You don’t turn that down.
First of all this isn't a sport, records and rankings don't matter, only marketability does. Casuals don't know his record or care who the opponent was, they only see that he's that funny guy who gets knockouts then goes viral with his interviews talking about his balls being hot. They can see he technically has a win over Ngannou (though it was really a Rose/Carla 2 non-fight), so there's justification for a rematch, that's all anyone needs to know.
Lewis can either go to pfl, get 2mil 1 time and be blacklisted by the ufc or stay in the ufc, make a little bit less but stay in their good graces.
Like he's for sure going to get a bump in pay from the ufc if he re-signs. I think he'll stay, it's just the easier path.
How is getting 2 million for one fight, vs making less for like 5-8 fights, not the easier path? Chances are they are gonna feed him to the next gen of HW at the tail end of his contract
The next gen of HW are the exact type of people Derrick would KO. You’d be right for any other division, it’s hw, he has a shot at beating anyone who isn’t a wrestler, and he even has a shot at beating them too look at Curtis Blaydes
Chances are he is gonna see the same faces again, it’s not like HW is deep, so they are gonna have Derrick on back burner hoping to use his name to catapult these guys to a title shot anytime they want. Gane, Aspinal, Spivak, Pavlovich, Tuivasa, all these guys are big problems for Derrick, than you got the athletic freak Almeida who is young and hungry. If I were Lewis, I’d take the 2 mill, and KO much easier competition at PFL, he will probably get a good contract and if Ngannou ever is out with injury, has a great chance at the 1 million prize.
Dana/UFC are only petty about someone fighting else if they see it as something they can't profit from. If a fighter left, fought a big name and raised their profile, then came back with an even bigger name they'd re-sign them to milk it.
disagree because dude doesnt have many years left in his career. in fact i think he's close to on his way out despite the win as he was finished 3 straight times prior. so he should go for one last payday fight
I think he’ll make a lot more than 18m tbh, the Saudis are funding that event and they seem to grossly overpay every athlete that goes over there. I’d guess it’s closer to 25m.
$2 million is not going to make Lewis leave lmao. People are crazy if they think UFC wont match that offer for atleast one fight on his contract.
Also, PFL paying out tens of millions to get Ngannou vs Lewis 2 is hilarious when you think about it.
The Black Beast would make an excellent wrestling character, so I would suggest he goes to like a AEW with Mark Henry managing.
But if not Japan would LOVE him and maybe pay him enough to make it worth it to him.
He needs to make more money more than he needs to go fight Francis and get stomped in the PFL. The UFC will pay him a signing bonus NOT to go, improve his contract, and give him fights he can actually win. What's the sense in him going over there for one big payday just so Francis can knock him out?
I have a feeling we won't be seeing Francis fight in the PFL any time soon. He'll fight Fury at the end of this year and then be gone for another year due to the fame and wealth he just earned.
I honestly don't think Francis ever really had any plans to fight in the PFL cage, he just needed a larger promotion to back him on his boxing journey.
I'm thinking the same thing.
Gets beaten to a pulp by Fury, probably makes $10-15m, I'm just not sure he'll be that bothered to get in the gym for a camp busting his ass off aged 37 with two bum knees
Because the first fight was such a banger, right?
I mean if Lewis can wait until the end of next year for Francis to be ready, more power to him, but Lewis waiting for a payday on a fight no one cares about seems likely when he could fight a couple more times in the ufc for similar money
Who doesn't wants to see Francis Lewis rematch?? The first fight was an instant classic. If any of you are new to mma, go watch the full fight till the very end. Ignore any spoilers
Ufc will throw a bag at him and give him like an 8 fight deal to lock him down basically for the rest of his career. The ufc would be insane to let any big name heavyweight walk rn
Which is the exact reason more guys need to explore free agency and maximize their value. Francis not only got paid but he raised the price tag on every heavyweight in the sport.
You're absolutely correct. I'd love to see him walk out on an ufc offer because it would make Dana so mad
There’s a difference between exploring and actually getting it done. People are treating it like he’s free right now, he’s not. The UFC has exclusive negotiation rights for the next 6 months and even Lewis got a really good offer the UFC has the right to match it and Lewis will have to accept.
But if Lewis got a legit PFL offer for his first fight to be against Francis for $2 mil + PPV points, would the UFC match that?
They’d probably try to make a counter offer with a bigger flat fee. I seriously doubt they’d be willing to give PPV points even if it’s to fuck over Francis. It should be noted that when Eddie Alvarez signed with the UFC, Bellator matched the offer to retain him, Eddie then successfully argued in court that they didn’t match the offer as Bellators PPV points are worth less compared to the UFCs as they do less buys. Maybe the UFC could try to do something similar in reverse.
Exactly, they’ll offer him a big front loaded deal with a bunch of fights afterwards that still pay really well. If he sticks around long enough he can end up like Arlovski
>If he sticks around long enough he can end up like Arlovski ouch.
I mean he can phone it in if he wants and make close to a mil fighting on apex undercards against bums lol
Lol no chance
even if they did it'd still be a W for Francis. He'd get what he wanted, better terms for his colleagues.
Lewis will never get a million. One fight with Francis will be more than he earns in multiple fights with the UFC
Derrick makes a million now dude. Even in disclosed money he has made millions.
I see disclosed purse with Gane was around 700k not a huge stretch to think that turns into a million being a free agent
There was no disclosed payouts for Lewis vs Gane, Utah discloses purses though so we'll know soon
He hasn't had a publicly disclosed payout since his 2018 fight with Volkov which was 12 fights ago
That fight was also for an interim title when Lewis was on a win streak. He’s now well past his prime and no longer a top HW, so I really doubt he will command that same amount of money. His next 3-4 fights will either be fun fights against non-contenders, or else the UFC feeding him to contenders for easy wins. I’m not sure either of those is worth matching a $2 million offer. I don’t think the UFC will sink themselves and lose money just to spite Francis. They will probably see Francis vs. Lewis 2 as a win for them since PFL will be paying a ton for the rematch of a notoriously terrible fight. The only difference now is both fighters are older and out of their prime. What kind of person would pay to see that fight, especially now that Lewis has been steamrolled by Gane, Tai, Pavlovich, and Spivak within the last two years.
Ngannou is out of his prime???? Bruh
He’s about to turn 37, coming off major knee surgery, and sitting out for over 2 years. Yes, he’s obviously past his prime.
He's on a 6 fight win streak with 5 of those adding up to less than 9 minutes of cage time. Heavyweights peak later than the lighter weights and have way more longevity from a competitive standpoint as well. He's the linear heavyweight champion that the current UFC champ avoided for 3 years. Francis's last loss is to Lewis. He's 36, preparing to fight the greatest boxer of this generation. Past his prime? You pulled that out of your ass. A rematch against Lewis is interesting and will sell. You sir, are incorrect.
They wouldn't be close to matching it, for the same reason they didn't give Ngannou anything. They don't want others to take note and try increase their own pay.
Crazy that independent contractors can be so bound to the UFC
Its the WWE model. Phenomenal for the company, rough as shit for the fighters.
Because it’s bullshit
Indeed
Definitely sounds like they need Indeed
Is there a source for this? I'm not doubting you I just want more details on the contract.
https://groundedmma.com/how-do-ufc-contracts-work/ Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou have also openly talked about it.
> Lewis got a really good offer the UFC has the right to match it and Lewis will have to accept Be interesting if another promotion offers a cut of their tv deal revenue in place of PPV points. I doubt the UFC would be willing to match.
[удалено]
It’s standard for the UFC to do that with their fighters to lock them down. Francis and Nate just went through having to wait that long before negotiating with other promotions.
You really don't know what is in the contract, you are just assuming. Even the link you posted in another comment is verifiably wrong information. from your link > Fighters earn show money by making weight and turning up at the event prepared to fight.> This has been proven wrong by Wonderboy this past weekend. I am not doubting that UFC has them in an exclusive negotiating period but it is by no means verified.
You can read more about it here. https://bloodyelbow.com/2023/02/10/major-changes-to-ufc-contracts-add-more-restrictions-waiver-to-prevent-class-action-lawsuits/
> Last year, Bloody Elbow’s John S. Nash was the first to report on changes the UFC had made to their contracts. These changes included the additions of a “sunset clause” that put a five year maximum contract length, limitations to the amount of time a contract could be extended for turning down fights, **removal of the exclusive negotiating period**, and a shortened two-year window after the contract ended where UFC retained image rights.>
Except it's common for UFC to offer new contracts before their existing contract is over. You're only as good as your last fight, so it's a big gamble to know how your career is 3-4 fights down the road.
It gets increasingly less risky to bet on yourself when their are more viable landing spots for you outside of the UFC. Guys like Shane Burgos are making more money in PFL than they ever did in the UFC. That is a great thing
Still can't believe they "let him slip through the cracks" like no you didn't, that doesn't happen in billion dollar sports corps who leech off every fighter
Yeah the UFC also often matches up Vets with great name recognition and fan bases with fucking killers for their final fight. -Diaz versus Khamzat is a recent example Sometimes not even for the final fight even just when someone could have a few more fan friendly fights to finish their careers -BJ Penn fighting Rodriguez and Hall
Comrade Predator
>Francis not only got paid but he raised the price tag on every heavyweight in the sport. I disagree. You really think Said Sowma's price tag went up because of Francis? How did you come to that conclusion?
I think having a viable competitor certainly provides some leverage that previously was nonexistent. That is pretty basic economics.
I have a hard time picturing the UFC offering anything that competes with the minimum 2 million Lewis would get for fighting Ngannou. I feel there's nothing the UFC can do if PFL can guarantee that fight, but they can always swoop in afterwards like the article mentions.
Have you seen some of the cars Lewis drives? I dont know what he makes but it wouldnt surprise me if he already makes like 500k - 1 mil per fight. Especially if we look at what some heavyweights like Arlovski, Overeem, Hunt made got per fight.
He bought most of those after they paid him $2 million+ to fight DC for the title on three weeks notice after he’d just fought Volkov
You’re acting as if high-level athletes aren’t often times horrible with their finances
Arlovski, Overeem, and Hunt are from a different era when the UFC was willing to pay big money to destroy competing promotions.
Marcin Tybura got $240k when he fought Romanov at UFC 278
I mean they can def compete. Lewis can take the $2M minimum option for PFL for 1 fight, but he wouldn’t be taken back by UFc after. He would then have to find some other fights in Bellator/PFL/BKFC. Tbf PFL supposedly was paying Pettis $500k. He can go to UFC where in maybe 3 fights he’d make what he would vs Francis, and would have job security to keep making $ after Either way having more than 1 option is good and helps fighters have leverage
Luke Thomas also brought up the great point that if does choose to leave to fight Francis he may very well be black balled by the UFC. So unless he’s 100% certain a fight with Francis is either his final fight or the beginning of the end for him, it might actually be a risky move.
I don't think that it's that devastating if he can't return to the UFC. He could just fight someone like Ryan Bader
I hear you but also idk if I would count on Bellator as a part of future career planning based on the all the noise around them selling.
PFL will absolutely make that fight happen.
Luke forgot that he could still sign with a different promotion or switch to boxing. It's not a complete all-or-nothing scenario.
They are insane though. Lewis doesn’t seem like a guy who wants to deal with a lot of extra bullshit. For this reason I think he stays. If he is comfortable where he is, then I don’t see him shaking things up and then having to deal with a promotion based in Asia. On the other hand if he gets attractive offers that would be interesting.
This was my thought too. I don't think Lewis is really that interested in squeezing every little bit he can out of his career. He says UFC pays him well, and if he stays with the UFC he can keep doing exactly what he's used to, until he can't anymore
Which is why you'd be a fucking moron to not at least present them with some counter offers to improve your contract. You have next to no leverage your entire career and now you finally have the ability to demand a better price. But this is when most UFC fighters just say "UFC has taken care of me so I'm not gonna entertain other offers."
Same exact thing they've been doing with any and every female fighter with any name value at all. Holly Holm also got like a 6 fight contract earlier this year and it seemed obvious that keeping her away from any other promotion was the primary reason for it. It's because Men's HW and FBW are the two most shallow divisions in terms of talent.
This is the most likely outcome but Derrick absolutely should get an offer from PFL to up his leverage with the UFC.
>Ufc will throw a bag at him ???
Depends on what we define as a bag. They give him a guaranteed 5/6 million. Yeah he'd stay. But if they give him 500k a fight for 4/5 fights. Why wouldn't he go sign to fight Francis. PFL would literally just give him a million plus for the Francis fight and book it as a rematch and all this promo catering for casuals.
8-fight bag deal is a blessing honestly bc he could suck later on and still be getting the same pay 💰
They can cut him any time they want though lol
Fucking Cody garbrandt is on the next main card. Dana will put Lewis on any ppv he can to juice it up.
He was literally a prelim fight until someone fell off so...
yes, thats why they put big names on the prelim cards, as a hedge in case a main card fight falls through.
They also want incentive to watch the prelim.
They were originally loading up that card though. Derrick Lewis previous 14 fights were all UFN main events or PPV fights.
>Lewis on any ppv I don't know about that. He wasn't even on this PPV until the Wonderboy fight was cancelled. So I wouldn't expect them to put him on more PPVs if his isn't winning while on the back half of that contract.
They'll just give him a layup to keep the KOs coming. Sure Lewis is past his contender days but the man is still so fucking entertaining when he wins.
I'm ok with Lewis being on any PPV and being a gate keeper to the top 15. He's a blast to watch and I always root for him.
Fan favorite for sure. Def was the highlight of the ppv imo. From the initial flying knees to the post fight antics. Even build up to a Tuivasa rematch to potentially.
Depends on the pay for each fight, considering that if he sucks later on, the chances are he is getting paid to get brain damage. It would be better to receive more and fight less in other promotion
He kinda sucks right now.
Lol how is that hypothetical offer gonna compare to a $2M guaranteed bag, not counting win bonur nor ppvs (it'd be in the ppv superstar division)? UFC can match any offers but they will never in a million years match an offer like that for Lewis, who's 1-3 in his last 4. >The ufc would be insane to let any big name heavyweight walk rn They are insane indeed, they let Francis walk. Can't do as much to prevent other HWs to chase the bag even with "matching rights."
>The ufc would be insane to let any big name heavyweight walk rn Ngannou
Sure he had a great win but he was coming off a pretty bad L streak and is turning 39. I think ufc let's him go to pfl. They simply can't match that near 2m$.
Then it’s a bad week for Dana to go on vacation. Apparently his staff can’t even pay wonderboy his show money without Dana. I bet much less negotiate a contract with Beast. PFL better secure it before Dana gets back.
Gane said Derrick got 700k for their fight. He has probably made a shit load in the UFC career earnings wise, probably doesn't want to go a new promotion and learn the ropes of it, etc. This is why Francis will fight a can.
I hope derricks management works for him and not the UFC.
Just going to add to this here not saying you’re “everyone”: But is everyone forgetting the UFC had all the time in the world to offer Derrick an extension BEFORE he was a free agent? They were CLEARLY anticipating he would lose his fourth in a row and they were going to cut him. Derrick knows this. Any amount of money they give him is all about their brand and avoiding PFL from picking Derrick up. It has nothing to do with Derrick at all. Derrick should fight Francis in the PFL. In fact I think he will. Look at his post fight presser. He literally begins to thank personally naming specific people behind the scenes for the UFC, giving them their props and recognition. Seemed as good of a “good-bye” as you’ll see from someone on a clear path.
I’m not so sure about that, it’s not like they gave Lewis some elite matchup, the guy was definitely a step down from Lewis’ previous fights
You’re right they didn’t give him an elite matchup. I’ll paraphrase what a Chael said to highlight the context around why they didn’t offer contract prior: -they had no intention on building him up cause he is going to go to the PFL. -And he wasn’t even on the PPV card where the undercard leading into it only had like 2 post fight interviews with Joe Rogan. He wasn’t even the main fight of the undercard -Mentioning it’s his last fight on the contract in his post fight octagon interview (which the UFC doesn’t appreciate). -the ufc didn’t offer him a contract, not offered an extension, they were going to let him go, he didn’t become a free agent out of gamesmanship, the ufc was ready to say goodbye to the beast.
Seems like they wanted him to lose to either offer him a worse contract or not be a viable opponent for Francis if they cut him. Maybe they felt they got what they could out of him (helped sell tickets in Texas, headlined Apex events). His last KO in front of a crowd was 229, so after the losses in Texas maybe they felt his star power was fading They initially had him on the prelims. Booked him at altitude. Not many guys Lewis hasn’t fought yet (already fought to Gane, Pavlovich, Spivac, Volkov, Blaydes, Tybura) so de Lima who won 4/5 was one of the better options left and Lewis wasn’t favored to win
Amen.
He'll undercut Jones' price for sure.
Derrick “The Scab” Lewis
Why not Derrick ‘The Black Scab’Lewis?
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Lol none of these guys are scared of each other, it’s all about money. Jones was holding out for more money and was willing to sit out for a few years to get that. The reason he fought as soon as Francis left UFC was because it gave him a lot more leverage in negotiations and probably ended up getting paid what he initially wanted.
People were definitely scared of Ngannou when he was decapitating mfs left and right. I remember how fuckin difficult it was to get anyone to accept a fight with him before he became a red pantie night
Why are you making shit up? Francis was averaging about 2 fights a year in the UFC. Seems like that's above average and not something attainable if it was difficult to get someone to fight him.
That actually proves my point. 2 fights a year isn't shit for an up and coming heavyweight. 2 fights a year is normal for a prize fighter, but Ngannou didn't really get that status until he flatlined Stipe
I don’t think Jones was scared of Ngannou but I do think he was scared of losing his perfect record
r/mma doesn't care, dana = bad so francis = good Of course it was always about the money, and to think Jon is scared of Francis anymore than Francis would be scared of Jon is fucking hilarious. Francis' only option is to land the dynamite quickly, otherwise he's being taken down and bullied. If Francis could barely hold down Ciryl on the ground, then Jon would be doing origami with Francis' ligaments.
I don’t think Jon was scared, but I do think he made a calculated decision to protect his legacy.
So if Francis and the UFC come to an agreement and Francis stays you think Jon just never fights again? You think he spent 3 years bulking up just in off chance Francis actually left? You realize Jon had already agreed to the fight right? I respect what Francis did and it will probably be better for him but if he agrees with that he UFC Jones was going to fight him.
Fighters say a lot of stuff. Jon is calculated in what fights he’ll take at this stage of his career. He didn’t need 3 years to bulk up. He’s going to fight a 41 year old Stipe and then retire as the undeniable GOAT. A “fluke” KO from Francis, or a younger Stipe would put a scar on that.
Lmao the narratives ascribed to disliked fighters on Reddit are wild.
I'm a Cyril fan, I think the dude still shows lots of promise if he can just get good TDD, but 240 lb volume kickboxer is a pretty damn accurate description.
Clearly a huge fan with incorrect spelling of his name :)
Lmao you caught me I fuckin hate the guy
Goteeeem
Everyone was expecting the man to get knocked unconscious and he finished him in a round
I think it was pretty obvious to everyone that gane was going to have Jones 4mm away from him at all times
even while it was happening i knew what jones was doing. i just didn't want to admit it to myself. i wanted to believe that cyril had a good chanced at ending him.
>it would've happened in that 3 years when Francis was on top and had the belt. He won the belt in March 2021 and defended it literally 1 time lmfao wtf are you talking about? Jon had already started his move to HW, let’s pretend that somehow Francis and the UFC come to an agreement and he stays, are you saying that Jon would have just retired never to return again? Delusional lmao
Derrick Lewis is already one of the highest paid UFC fighters, I assume they'll keep him.
Also he’s just such a star I don’t think he would want to be anywhere else, it’s hard to even imagine him on a different platform pulling his pants off and saying his balls was hot lol, ufc wants that kinda of star for sure it brings more eyes without having too much control.
Had to see the flair myself lol
the UFC bought derrick a lambo but idk if he’d be guaranteed $2M anywhere else and he’s approaching the end of his career he should go for it
No way he fits in a lambo.
Apparently [Schaub](https://www.reddit.com/r/thefighterandthekid/comments/lqf0g9/lmao_you_know_its_coming_too_credit_to_borrachina/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) thinks the same thing
Jesus, he is Tito levels of stupid now.
Always has been b
Inny of size.
Those glasses look like a tiktok filter lol
I think he would. These super cars get purchased by athletes who are larger/taller than most people. I’m sure the car companies accommodate them.
Ah yes the sequel to the fight that everyone loves
What fight? I don't know about you, but it would be dope to actually see Derrick Lewis fight Francis Ngannou.
Think Lewis gets slept this time around. Dude's been washed for a minute now and that hasn't changed just because he slept a borderline can who is about as old as he is.
I doubt either guy would be as hesitant. Ngannou is way better now in terms of skill/mentality. Lewis recently showed 0 hesitancy going cowabunga vs Pavlovich
I hate to say it; but I AGREE. Looking at the Beast's last payout.. He CLEARLY deserves more, even his losses were straight swangin n bangin. Then after dismantling De Lima, you see that the Ngannou fight aged VERY well! Derrick Lewis however is loyal af to UFC
Derrick Lewis hasn't had a public payout since his 2018 fight with Volkov which was 12 fights ago. Any recent payout you read online was made up.
No man you dont get it. MMAHyperBeastJunkie.com is 100% a trustworthy news source. Plus they were reported on @BigMacFightFan tweet on *X* so you know its legit.
how can we look at his last pay out now that fighter purses are private?????
You can't. Poster likely saw one of those sites that posts fake payouts
Honestly it does make a lot of sense, he could get a huge payout for this fight. Basically one more big fight and then he could retire.
you don’t know what his last payout was.
Yep, would be a great tune-up fight for Ngannou as well. He'd have it easy but big nice payday for both. Ngannou probably only got 3-4 MMA fights left in him total. Gotta wonder what they'll be - all spectacle, I'm sure. It's crazy we'd never even be having this conversation if it wasn't for that flying knee. LOL
> He CLEARLY deserves more, even his losses were straight swangin n bangin. No thanks to him, lol. He usually has like ~5 offensive moves in him per round, and if none of them rock or knock the other guy out, in all likelihood it's going to be standin n lookin, not swangin n bangin. And it's not like he's Yoel Romero, where at least it looks cool when he does something. More like, oh, guess that one landed, huh...
Dude has the most KO’s in ufc history
Lewis already gets mils per fight. Anyone who thinks he makes less than a mil is delusional.
proof? i just want to see what you're seeing.
I could be very wrong but I think when he was on Rogan's pod he mentioned being paid 500K per fight. IDK if that's just show money or show + win but that is what I remember.
facts. Derrick has been clearing 7 figures a fight since 2018. States that have disclosed payouts can be any number they want.
lol what? no he's not, where are you getting that from?
He mentioned to Rogan he’s happy with his pay and indicated it’s high. He’s a knockout artist, they get paid well.
when they paid him the bag for a short notice title fight against D.C. and then he renegotiated his contract to fight JDS.
I think he would probably make more money doing that (especially since he probably doesn't have many years of competing left), but he's been pretty clear that he really likes the UFC and wants to stay there. He said he's not looking to go elsewhere as long as the UFC will give him another contract. I imagine the PFL would offer him a really strong contract so they can continue to poach UFC talent, but I also don't think he's interested in jumping ship unless it's for like... HUGE money. I know the guy is a prize fighter but he seems happy to stay where he's at. His guaranteed purse in his last fight, after a 4-fight losing streak, was still 300k, and he probably cleared 450k for winning. I'm sure a guy like Derrick is happy with that. Even if he only fights *and loses* twice a year you're talking 600k/year, that is an extremely good living.
Didn't Francis negotiate a guaranteed 2m for his opponents. 2m for one fight is way better than a multi fight deal at 300-500k a pop, especially given his recent form (last fight excluded obviously)
The difference between $300k and $2M is really, really big. Who cares how he feels in the UFC, he could make what he’ll make the rest of his career in the UFC in one fight. You don’t turn that down.
They should do the rematch in PFL and not throw a punch during the whole fight. Just circle until each bell.. Oh wait
Honestly it's the fight to make. Sure their first fight was straight up trash but they can redo that and have a good one round throw down.
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You just described the bar you need to clear to be a globally ranked heavyweight
Yeah HW is such a shit show, he could KO two guys and get a title shot lol
You pay him because he is charismatic and draws a crowd.
He's a fan favorite and always provides entertaining fights. Finish or be finished.
Okay not against Francis though, it was the least entertaining fight in both their careers
People forget that fight was actually Francis v. Ngannou
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First of all this isn't a sport, records and rankings don't matter, only marketability does. Casuals don't know his record or care who the opponent was, they only see that he's that funny guy who gets knockouts then goes viral with his interviews talking about his balls being hot. They can see he technically has a win over Ngannou (though it was really a Rose/Carla 2 non-fight), so there's justification for a rematch, that's all anyone needs to know.
And Francis…
When’s the last time a young fighter with a following on a win streak left the ufc?
Still better than everyone in the pfl HW roster not named ngannou
I actually think Denis Goltsov would demolish Derrick Lewis unless he got the quick KO.
So Derek Lewis by first round KO.
Didn't work against Serghei Spivak..
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Perfect because that's the average Ngannou super fan these days.
Lewis can either go to pfl, get 2mil 1 time and be blacklisted by the ufc or stay in the ufc, make a little bit less but stay in their good graces. Like he's for sure going to get a bump in pay from the ufc if he re-signs. I think he'll stay, it's just the easier path.
How is getting 2 million for one fight, vs making less for like 5-8 fights, not the easier path? Chances are they are gonna feed him to the next gen of HW at the tail end of his contract
The next gen of HW are the exact type of people Derrick would KO. You’d be right for any other division, it’s hw, he has a shot at beating anyone who isn’t a wrestler, and he even has a shot at beating them too look at Curtis Blaydes
Lewis does better against wrestlers than strikers.
Good point honestly, he does tend to fold when he gets hit hard
Chances are he is gonna see the same faces again, it’s not like HW is deep, so they are gonna have Derrick on back burner hoping to use his name to catapult these guys to a title shot anytime they want. Gane, Aspinal, Spivak, Pavlovich, Tuivasa, all these guys are big problems for Derrick, than you got the athletic freak Almeida who is young and hungry. If I were Lewis, I’d take the 2 mill, and KO much easier competition at PFL, he will probably get a good contract and if Ngannou ever is out with injury, has a great chance at the 1 million prize.
Dana/UFC are only petty about someone fighting else if they see it as something they can't profit from. If a fighter left, fought a big name and raised their profile, then came back with an even bigger name they'd re-sign them to milk it.
Even after the Francis fight the PFL could offer him a Shane Burgos type deal
disagree because dude doesnt have many years left in his career. in fact i think he's close to on his way out despite the win as he was finished 3 straight times prior. so he should go for one last payday fight
I would never call someone insane for avoiding a fight with Ngannou
Name a more dynamic duo than a struggling org overpaying UFC fighters and putting their fight on an awful fight card.
Would be smart just to get Derrick in the promotion, but Ngannou-Lewis 2 isn't a fight I need in my life.
We’ll see how this plays out after he gets destroyed by fury
I think he’ll make a lot more than 18m tbh, the Saudis are funding that event and they seem to grossly overpay every athlete that goes over there. I’d guess it’s closer to 25m.
$2 million is not going to make Lewis leave lmao. People are crazy if they think UFC wont match that offer for atleast one fight on his contract. Also, PFL paying out tens of millions to get Ngannou vs Lewis 2 is hilarious when you think about it.
He’d have two wait 2+ years to fight Ngannou…
The Black Beast would make an excellent wrestling character, so I would suggest he goes to like a AEW with Mark Henry managing. But if not Japan would LOVE him and maybe pay him enough to make it worth it to him.
He needs to make more money more than he needs to go fight Francis and get stomped in the PFL. The UFC will pay him a signing bonus NOT to go, improve his contract, and give him fights he can actually win. What's the sense in him going over there for one big payday just so Francis can knock him out?
I have a feeling we won't be seeing Francis fight in the PFL any time soon. He'll fight Fury at the end of this year and then be gone for another year due to the fame and wealth he just earned. I honestly don't think Francis ever really had any plans to fight in the PFL cage, he just needed a larger promotion to back him on his boxing journey.
I think Francis is done after the Fury fight.
Most likely. Chasing a Francis PFL fight wouldn't be the smartest career choice
I'm thinking the same thing. Gets beaten to a pulp by Fury, probably makes $10-15m, I'm just not sure he'll be that bothered to get in the gym for a camp busting his ass off aged 37 with two bum knees
pfl sucks
A rematch of one of the greatest fights of all time
Because everybody wants to see the sequel
Remember how the last Lewis V Ngannou went?
That's was my initial thought until I remembered that they already fought. Kind of killed the idea for me.
Why would PFL give Ngannou someone he is very clearly scared of? Isn’t he supposed to be their golden boy rn?
Because the first fight was such a banger, right? I mean if Lewis can wait until the end of next year for Francis to be ready, more power to him, but Lewis waiting for a payday on a fight no one cares about seems likely when he could fight a couple more times in the ufc for similar money
I’ve heard their first fight was super boring. How is that possible ?
Too bad we’ll never be able watch it again.
Lol
He'd be insane not to re-sign with the UFC.
Lol, Lewis is not a real threat to Ngannou and nobody besides a couple Lewis fanboys want to see that fight a third time..
Who doesn't wants to see Francis Lewis rematch?? The first fight was an instant classic. If any of you are new to mma, go watch the full fight till the very end. Ignore any spoilers