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“When does a champion get what’s due to him?”

Demetrious Johnson has been at odds with the UFC during a large chunk of his stint as the organization’s undisputed flyweight champion. He was even in the middle of it all when upper management threatened to close down the division for good.

During one of his recent Twitch streams, “Mighty Mouse” opened the discussion about his salaries in the UFC. Some of these included fights when he’d already defended the title multiple times.

“When I fought Dominick Cruz [for UFC’s bantamweight title], I was fighting for 14k [to show] and 14k [to win],” Johnson said (quotes by MMA Mania). “Lost to Dominick Cruz, I made 14k.

“Then I was about to fight Eddie Wineland, but that didn’t go through so I fought Ian McCall in Australia. I was still on that same contract. And then, I got a NEW contract when I fought Ian McCall for a second time, I think I got bumped up to $ 20k/$ 20k.

“And then I fought Joseph Benavidez and I was still on that $ 20k/$ 20k,” he said. “When I fought John Dodson I made $ 23k/$ 23k, when I fought John Moraga it probably went $ 26k/$ 26k, and then when it was Joseph Benavidez [again] I think it was like $ 30k/$ 30k.”

Even as a champion, Johnson says he didn’t get to enjoy PPV points, something many of his fellow titleholders did.

“And then I finally got a new contract as champion, and I think it was $ 125k/$ 50k, but I didn’t get pay-per-view points and that’s where most champions get their bang for their buck, it’s in pay-per-view points. Because if you get on a card with a Conor McGregor and he does 2.1 million buys, then you just do the f—ing math, you’re going to make a s—load of money.

“I never got the opportunity to do that, so when they tried to stiff arm me for the fight against T.J. Dillashaw I was like ‘Pay me a f—ing million dollars and I’ll do it. This is a super fight, let’s make some super money.’

“They never wanted to do that. That’s why I came out like that, basically pushing back, like when does a champion have leverage, when does a champion get what’s due to him?”

Bloody Elbow’s business expert John Nash, however, noted some minor inaccuracies in Johnson’s statement.

Johnson earned $ 29,000 to show and $ 29,000 to win for his second title defense against John Moraga. It was only during his third title defense where he finally made six digits, earning $ 125,000 to show and $ 50,000 to win.

Athletic commission records also show that his purses didn’t improve much for the next several championship fights. Against Henry Cejudo at UFC 197, where Johnson continued his historic run with eight title defenses, the top pound-for-pound talent still earned just $ 135,000 to show and $ 60,000 to win.

Johnson’s disappointment only piled on after knowing how much C.M. Punk got paid for his fights.

“I’m going on my seventh or eighth title defense, you’ve got C.M. Punk over here and he’s making 500 bones [500k] and it’s his second fight in the UFC. That’s where the chip on my shoulder came from.”

In 2018, Johnson moved to Singapore to fight for ONE Championship, where he is currently the organization’s champion at 135 pounds.

About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)

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The former UFC heavyweight champion has given his side on what happened in the final days of his contract negotiations. 

In his own words, it seems Francis Ngannou has no doubt that he was right to leave the UFC.

UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that contract negotiations between the promotion and Ngannou had essentially failed, and that the now-former UFC heavyweight champion was effectively released to pursue other opportunities. According to White, Ngannou felt that he was in a “good position” where he “could fight lesser opponents and make more money” elsewhere.

But to Ngannou, fighting lesser opponents was not what he wanted. He told Ariel Helwani that he requested a three-fight contract with no extension, sponsorships, health insurance and a fighter advocate. But most of all, Ngannou wanted freedom. And when most of those were rejected by the UFC, he left.

“They have said that I’m scared of fighting Jon Jones or somebody, which I don’t know where they came from with that one,” said Ngannou in a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel. “That sounds very ridiculous, in my opinion. With all due respect, I’ve been calling for this fight for over two years. I’ve been waiting for this fight forever. I’ve been fighting guys, even with one knee, with injuries. And now, why do I be scared of them? When I feel even more confident. No, I’m not scared. The only thing that I’m scared of is to be trapped. It’s not to lose my freedom, which I value very much.

“You guys know how the UFC contract can be,” continued Ngannou. “Restrictive and as an independent contractor, you don’t really have a say in that contract. You don’t have a right, so I can’t do that.”

One of the final comments White gave on the Ngannou situation was, “if you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be here,” which the ‘Predator’ said was the furthest from the truth. He wanted to be in the UFC, but signing a restrictive contract yet again was out of the question.

“‘Anyone who doesn’t have to be here, doesn’t have to be here.’ You know that’s not true, right? You know how restrictive the UFC contract can be,” said Ngannou. “For a contract that’s supposedly for an independent contractor. So there’s not really a lot of things that you want or you can do when you are in that contract. They decide for you.

“I signed my last contract in December 2017,” continued Ngannou. “Even at the time, I knew it wasn’t a good contract, but I knew I had to earn my position, become a champion, have more value in order to negotiate a better deal for me. I needed to add more value to myself and that’s what I’ve been doing in the past five years, which is okay. I never really complained with that contract. No matter what happened, the only thing that I wanted is the right to deliver that contract, to terminate that contract as I should. And move on into the next one. I do believe that I have that right, at least. That’s called freedom.

“To be able to terminate a contract in order to start another one. And if the new one doesn’t suit your conditions, you’re also free not to sign without going into a bad blood [with the promotion]. That’s how I feel about it. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t come to terms, which I wish we could’ve, but it is what it is. As an independent contractor, I have to look after myself. I have to do what’s right for me. And everyone out there should do the same for themselves.”

As for what happens next, Ngannou is excited to test free agency. For the Xtreme Couture fighter, a move from mixed martial arts to boxing is imminent.

Now that he is released, Ngannou hopes fights with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder can come to fruition. And after that, he expects to return to MMA, where he says he is still the ‘best heavyweight in the world’.

“Free agency is something that not many fighters in their prime, at the very top has a chance to experience,” said Ngannou. “Now, I have it. I fought for it for the past two years. I have it and I really want to do a better use out of it. And remember, they’re going to be saying a lot of things. They’re going to be trying to bash me, to devalue me. But no matter what, you have to remember who the real king is. The best heavyweight in the world. I’m the best heavyweight in the world and I don’t care what they say out there. I’m the man.”

About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)

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It looks like Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury might actually happen on February 25, 2023.

After this matchup fizzled out not once, but twice… Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury is now being targeted for February 25th of this year.

This story was first reported by Boxing Kingdom, with Inside Fighting reporting that the bout will be taking place in Saudi Arabia. A venue for the spectacle has yet to be named. The event will likely be put on by Paul’s own Most Valuable Promotions, so fans shouldn’t be surprised to see other social media influencers/non-combat sports athletes competing on the card as well.

The first time these two were supposed to throw hands was in December of 2021, but Fury pulled out of the contest due to medical matters. That was when former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, stepped in to get his rematch with Paul. After that, Paul vs. Fury was supposed to happen in August of 2022, but the fight was cancelled due to visa issues on Fury’s side.

Paul then brought in Hasim Rahman Jr. to compete against, but Rahman Jr.’s weight-cutting struggles resulted in the entire event being cancelled. After dealing with multiple opponents pulling out, Paul peered back over to the MMA pond and got UFC legend Anderson Silva on the line.

Back in October of last year, the ‘Problem Child’ scored a clean knockdown on Silva late in the fight, picking up a unanimous decision victory and adding another former MMA champ to his now 6-0 boxing record. After that match, betting odds were released for Jake’s next opponent. Nate Diaz was favored overall, and then Fury was right behind him as the second most likely candidate.

The 8-0 Fury last competed at Wembley Stadium in April of last year, where he won on points against Daniel Bocianski. In his first match against someone with a respectable record, Fury opened up a cut over the left eye of Bocianski, and even scored a knockdown in the fifth round. Hopefully nothing gets in the way of him versus Paul this time, and if it does, then everyone should take the hint from the boxing gods and bury this one for good.

Are we being sold wolf tickets here, or is Paul vs. Fury actually about to happen?

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Jon Jones is planning to stick around for at least two more fights.

Jon Jones is back, and he’s here to stay.

That’s according to a recent interview with The MMA Underground, where the aspiring two-division champion guaranteed at least two more fights in the UFC before he decides to call it a career.

Jones, who recently announced his move to the heavyweight division, is excited about the new challenge but admits to feeling somewhat nervous about his next fight.

“I feel like I’m in a really good place,” Jones, who hasn’t fought in almost three years, said. “MMA feels fun to me again. Obviously, with being out for three years and in a new division, there’s a lot of questions that cause me to stay up long nights, but it keeps me sharp. It’s something that I feel like I didn’t have at light heavyweight towards the end. Towards the end it just felt like another day at the office. This doesn’t feel like another day at the office. This feels very different. The nerves, the anxiety – it’s all back. I do good when I’m under pressure.”

Jones’ immediate goal is to defeat Ciryl Gane and then defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. After that, he plans to talk with the UFC to see what’s next but guarantees at least two more fights at heavyweight.

“My immediate goal is to beat Ciryl Gane and to beat Stipe Miocic,” he said. “After that, it’ll be conversations with the UFC to see what makes sense. But I am guaranteeing the fans at least two more fights out of me.”

Jones will take on former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285, which takes place on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Jon Jones reveals details on how it led to the vacant heavyweight title bout.

After a three-year layoff, Jon Jones is scheduled to return for a vacant UFC heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane.

The longterm light heavyweight champion spent years in the sidelines dealing with personal and legal issues, along with a long and very public contract dispute with the UFC. Unlike Francis Ngannou, who walked away from the UFC as champion, Jones was able to come to terms with the promotion and sign a lucrative new eight-fight deal.

Jones, who says he now feels “valued” by the company, shared a few details on how this planned heavyweight debut came together. He reveals being offered three heavyweights, and claimed that Dana White wasn’t really being truthful about a previous planned bout with Stipe Miocic.

“Dana said that there was never a Stipe fight on the line, but there was, there was,” Jones told The UG. “They just couldn’t come to an agreement.

“So I’ve been trying to prepare for Francis, I did a whole training camp preparing for Stipe, and now we got Ciryl Gane,” Jones said. “I’ve been ready for a long time. I’ve been training non-stop for three years, some days, three times a day.”

Jones ended up with a fight with Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt, but also notes how he preferred to face the other two heavyweight stars instead.

“It does (take something away),” Jones said about not having to fight Ngannou anymore. “I feel like Francis is the more intimidating of the two. I feel like he’s more known in America. Francis is this big scary intimidating man, where Ciryl is relatively unknown. Obviously Francis has the belt, so taking it from him would have been nice.

“The fight that meant the most to me was fighting Stipe Miocic, because Stipe is the greatest heavyweight of all time,” he continued. “I’m very honored to fight Ciryl Gane, and I knew that would be happening eventually, inevitably, but that’s the fight that I was really bummed didn’t happen.”

While he didn’t get a shot at Miocic, Jones says he’s already eying him next if he beats Gane and wins the heavyweight belt.

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Former champion Glover Teixeira shares his thoughts on trash talk ahead of his title fight at UFC 283.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira will have another chance to take back his belt at UFC 283. Paired up against contender Jamahal Hill, the Brazilian expects a difficult fight, but has promised to deliver another exciting performance to the fans.

In an interview with Combate, Teixeira emphasized how he intends to put on a thrilling contest. At the same time, though, the 43-year-old also revealed that he doesn’t feel as appreciated as other fighters who know how to trash talk and attract attention better than he does.

“I’m super happy to have this opportunity. You can expect aggression, a thirst to win, go out there and impose my gameplan. As you can see, I’m always focused and I always put on great fights. It’s no wonder I’m one of the light heavyweights with most ‘Fight of the Night’ awards. I was awarded the best fight of 2022,”

“I always put on a show for the fans,” Glover said. “I’m not a talker. I don’t have that gift. Unfortunately, that’s what sells. I’m old school. I bring the fight. It’s sad that people don’t like that. You can tell by my followers. A lot of guys don’t fight the way I fight, they haven’t done half of what I have, but they have many more followers than me. That gets them sponsors, they get everything.”

In his last outing, Teixeira (33-8) lost the belt to Jiri Prochazka via submission in June 2022. The defeat snapped a six-fight losing streak for the 43-year-old, who bested Jan Blachowicz, Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Nikita Krylov, Ion Cutelaba and Karl Roberson before facing ‘Denisa’.

UFC 283 goes down on January 21. The card is scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Alongside the main evnet, the card is set to host a flyweight title fight in the co-main, when champion Deiveson Figueiredo takes on former title-holder Brandon Moreno in their fourth encounter.

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The former UFC heavyweight champion had some very precise requests for re-signing with the world’s largest MMA promotion, especially when it came to his longterm future.

If Power Slap boss Dana White were to be believed, Francis Ngannou just didn’t want to fight tough fights anymore, that’s why he left the UFC. “[Ngannou] feels he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money,” the UFC president told reporters following UFC Vegas 67: Strickland vs. Imavov.

Of course, the Cameroonian-born Frenchman would have a lot to say about that narrative for himself. In a recent interview on the MMA Hour, the ‘Predator’ gave his side of the story, and let fans know just what it was he was looking for out of a new deal with the UFC. From the sound of things, it didn’t have a whole lot to do with levels of competition.

“I asked for three fights. No extension,” Ngannou said of his dealings with the world’s largest MMA promotion.

“One was Jon Jones, two was Stipe—hopefully Jon Jones again. Out of that three fights, I hoped two was Jon Jones.”

“Well, there was a lot of them,” Ngannou admitted, when asked what the other sticking points were in his contract negotiations with the UFC. “What I have learned is that you don’t go to the table in negotiations expecting to get everything that you want. But at least you want your partner—you want the other side to show a willingness, or at least try.

“So, I asked for a lot of things. Which doesn’t mean I was expecting all those things. But I was expecting at least one or two out of those things. I asked for sponsorship, the right of a sponsorship, which we’ve been rid of—we can’t have sponsorship. I asked for health insurance, couldn’t have it. I asked for a fighter advocate, somebody in the board meetings who advocates for the fighters. I asked for that. I couldn’t have those stuff, that I asked for. But, I just want them to know that there is something that I do want. And I also want them to take that at least in consideration.”

“They say, ‘No, we don’t do business like that,’ Ngannou recalled. “They say, ‘Yes, [you] can pay your health insurance?’ and all that. I’m like, ‘Yes, I can pay my health insurance. At this point health insurance for me is not a problem. But, how about those guys that are at the bottom? Make $ 10k + $ 10k or, lost the fight, made $ 10k? They can’t really afford that health insurance.’ And I have been there. So, it’s something that I still carry in my heart.”

“I knew it couldn’t happen, but I asked.”

As a result of those failed negotiations, the 36-year-old Francis Ngannou is one of the most prominent fighters to hit the free agency market from the UFC in at least the last decade. Whether that lands him a deal for a high profile boxing bout, or potential a contract with the PFL or other MMA organization still remains to be seen. Ngannou even admitted that he could see a potential reconciliation with the UFC some day.

About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013. (full bio)

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All the news and updates as the former UFC heavyweight champion looks for a new home.

Francis Ngannou has walked away from his UFC heavyweight title and has secured his freedom from the UFC. The Cameroonian fighter opted not to re-sign with the UFC, citing the lack of independence in UFC deals (which prevent fighters from competing in boxing and anything else the promotion would prefer they didn’t).

Ngannou joined the UFC in 2015 and went on a tear to earn a UFC title fight against Stipe Miocic. He was outworked by Miocic and lost by unanimous decision. A few months later he dropped a lacklustre decision to Derrick Lewis.

After a switch in camps, Ngannou began fighting like a man possessed. He steamrolled the heavyweight rankings, KOing anyone who was put in front of him to earn a rematch with Miocic at 2021’s UFC 260. That night he knocked out Miocic in the second round.

After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Ngannou returned to face Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last year. He defeated Gane by unanimous decision and soon made it clear that he was not interested in continuing on with the UFC.

Ngannou is now the most valuable free agent in combat sports (perhaps ever). Bloody Elbow will track Ngannou’s free agency and bring you all the news and updates as the world’s best heavyweight decides what to do next.

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Here’s more context on Richard Schaefer’s claims about Jon Jones’ lucrative new UFC deal.

With Francis Ngannou now officially out of the UFC roster, the heavyweight division is about to welcome a new champion in 2023. Former perennial light heavyweight title holder Jon Jones will now fight interim champion Ciryl Gane for the vacant belt at a still undetermined date.

The spotlight through this whole debacle seems to be centered on Jones, who has been preparing for his heavyweight debut since 2020. “Bones” even hired former Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer as his advisor in 2021, and this business decision is now paying off.

In his interview on The MMA Hour, Schaefer revealed successful negotiations with the UFC, which now puts Jones at the top in terms of the heavyweight payscale.

“UFC realizes that Jon Jones is the G.O.A.T. and he is a generational talent,” he said (quotes by MMA Mania). “So, they were very much interested and very open to work with us and came to the conclusion of putting together a fair deal, which we did here.

“That deal which we made for Jon — in the history of the UFC — makes Jon now the highest-paid Heavyweight athlete. Overall, I think as [UFC Chief Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell] mentioned to me, probably the second highest number next to Conor McGregor.”

According to Schaefer, the negotiations, while lengthy, were fruitful. In the process, Jones also signed a new eight-fight deal with the organization.

“It was a long negotiation, but it was not a hostile negotiation. It wasn’t like where both sides tuck their heels in. I think both sides wanted to find a way, and we found a way, and here it is.”

When it comes to interesting but vague claims, context and specifics do matter.

It’s worth noting that Dana White claimed that they also offered Ngannou a contract that would’ve made him “the highest paid heavyweight” in UFC history. There have been a couple of fighters outside the division that make more, but the highest paid UFC heavyweight was Brock Lesnar, and it was specifically just for his final UFC bout in 2016:

It’s worth noting how Lesnar’s previous purses were made public through the UFC antitrust lawsuit, and it isn’t exactly a high figure, especially in 2023. As a champion in 2011, he would’ve made $ 1.65 million plus his base purse, which was $ 400,000 at UFC 116. As a non-champion in his final bout in 2016, Lesnar’s base purse was $ 2.5 million, with a $ 5.5 million side deal

As for the claim being the “second highest” ever purse next to Conor McGregor, that distinction likely goes to Khabib Nurmagomedov. BE’s business expert John Nash previously estimated that the Dagestani former champion previously made around $ 10 million a fight at the end of his UFC career, with his teammate Daniel Cormier confirming as much.

Jones himself previously claimed he made around “$ 5+ million” per fight before negotiating this new UFC deal. Does Schaefer’s claim mean that Jones is now making more than Lesnar’s $ 8 million and the estimated $ 10 million Khabib made per fight?

As noted in the earlier post about White’s claim, the more important question is also if that monetary figure for Jones is also guaranteed for each of the eight fights on his deal, or is it only for this special circumstance and/or after clearing PPV targets.

Jones being in a title fight along with the intrigue of his heavyweight debut likely draws more than other contests, while most UFC contracts involve a drastic drop in pay once a championship is no longer involved.

UFC 285 happens on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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The former two division champion isn’t having any truck with talk that Francis Ngannou is running scared from top competition.

It’s a tale as old as time. Whenever a notable, top-tier fighter decides that their goals lie in opposition to the UFC’s president Dana White starts spinning the narrative about how that fighter just doesn’t have the fire for serious competition anymore. He did it to GSP and Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez, and now he’s doing it to Francis Ngannou.

“I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk,” White told the assembled media of Ngannou’s refusal to sign a new deal with the promotion. “[He] feels he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money.”

Forget that one of the main driver’s of Ngannou’s exit from the UFC were his hopes of boxing Tyson Fury (a fight he’d almost unquestionably get schooled badly in), but just the basic concept that the world’s top heavyweight, and now-stripped champion was in disagreement with the UFC over level of opposition, or really anything other than money and boxing, just seems entirely, obviously foolish.

Even a long time company man like current UFC talking head and former two division champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t seem to see White’s view on this. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier addressed Jon Jones’ upcoming shot for the vacant heavyweight title, and what he thought of Ngannou’s exit.

“Isn’t it ironic that Jon Jones is fighting for a vacant championship? Do you guys remember what I went through when I won the (vacant) belt?” Cormier said. “Now it’s different. Jon hasn’t fought Francis before, but isn’t it ironic that he’s in this situation now? My advice to you, Jon, is get thick skin, because people will be unrelenting. Right now, because Francis left, it’s almost like Francis avoided Jones. That’s not true.

Francis would’ve fought Jon Jones on any day of the week. Let’s not get crazy, fans. Fans always come up with these ideas, but trust me: Jones, it’s going to flip to, ‘Is he the real champion, because he didn’t beat Francis Ngannou?’ if he wins that fight against Ciryl Gane. Which is not guaranteed, because Ciryl Gane is as good as they come.”

Now 35-years-old, Jones hasn’t set foot in the Octagon since vacating his light heavyweight title in 2020. That decision came on the back of two controversial wins over Dominick Reyes and Thiago Santos. Talk of a heavyweight move for Jones has been ongoing for as much as a decade, with the UFC announcing last year, their intention to have Jones face Ngannou (had the ‘Predator’ re-signed to the promotion) for the heavyweight title.

Gane is currently coming off a third round KO win over Tai Tuivasa on September 3rd. That bout acted as a bounce-back for the 32-year-old, following his loss to Ngannou back in January of last year—in the Frenchman’s first bid for heavyweight gold. Gane and Jones are currently set to meet in the main event of UFC 285 on March 4th, with the now-vacant heavyweight title on the line.

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