“$8,000,000 Guaranteed”: Amidst Dana White-Francis Ngannou Feud, Ex-UFC Star Drops Major Behind-The-Scenes Revelations on Cameroonian’s Prior UFC Deal

Days after the monumental announcement, Francis Ngannou and his new deal with the PFL are still making headlines. The lucrative deal gives Ngannou a big paycheck along with the freedom that he craved. However, not everyone agrees that the deal was a good idea. Among them was UFC president Dana White who openly bashed it during a recent UFC press conference. Now, an ex-UFC star has come forward, backing White’s claims and pointing out some fundamental flaws in the operation.

Former UFC star Brendan Schaub took up Francis Ngannou’s PFL deal for discussion during a recent episode of ‘The Schaub Show.’ The fighter-turned-podcaster lauded Ngannou for landing himself a lucrative deal with PFL. However, he did not have the same appreciation for PFL. The 40-year-old was of the opinion that the deal would not be viable for PFL. He argued they did not have the infrastructure to follow through with the deal they promised ‘The Predator.’

Further, he analyzed the situation from Dana White’s standpoint and extrapolated how their discussions might have gone. The 40-year-old also tried to guess what the UFC’s intentions were when trying to re-sign the Cameroonian.

Brendan Schaub analyzes the deal UFC offered Francis Ngannou

Talking about Francis Ngannou and his PFL deal, Schaub said, “Just from a business standpoint, this deal is great for Francis Ngannou. It’s great for him, man… For the PFL, it is a disaster.”

Analyzing White’s comments on the deal, Schaub continued, “Dana’s like, ‘takeout whatever I feel about Francis. As a business, he’s a 36-year-old fighter that’s demanding more money than we’ve ever paid. He’s 36, coming off a knee injury.”

‘Thicc Boy’ also analyzed the deal the UFC offered him based on Eric Nicksick’s revelations. He said, “So you sign him to this massive deal, he loses a fight. What’s next? What do you do? He’s 37 by that time. He’s 38. What do you do with it?… UFC did the right thing letting him go.” 

He added, “I think Francis’ coach Nick said they offered Francis $8 million guaranteed plus pay-per-view to fight Jon Jones. Big payday. But after that, it goes back to his normal pay. Francis is like, ‘I’m trying to get away from that normal pay.’ But the UFC as a business going ‘You don’t understand. We assume you’re gonna lose this fight, dude. Then after that, this is your value.”

Should the UFC have hedged their bets on Jones winning?

According to Schaub, White was of the belief that Ngannou would not be able to beat Jones, thus offering him a guaranteed big payday for multiple fights would be a poor business decision. On the other hand, while the touted MMA G.O.A.T. Jones may be the bigger draw, ‘Bones’ has made it clear in multiple interviews that he intends to have only one more fight in the division. So even if Jones won the blockbuster match, his star power would no longer be of use to the UFC. It should also be noted that on the off chance that Ngannou beats Jones, a potential big-money rematch could be in the offing with both fighters much bigger stars since their first encounter.

Read More– “Whenever, Wherever”: After Exposing Dana White’s Hypocrisy, Francis Ngannou Shuts Down the UFC President With Jon Jones Challenge

Prior to the PFL, many fans have speculated that Ngannou ‘fumbled the bag’. This notion was somewhat quashed when he signed his bumper deal earlier this month. While the PFL may offer better pay and freedom to pursue other ventures, some say the exposure and competition in the UFC would offer up much better numbers for the Cameroonian’s stock. ‘The Nightmare’ isn’t slated to fight this year and many feel a Jones v Ngannou fight will be one of those dream matchups that never materialized. With both the fighters in their prime and leagues ahead of their competition, it remains to be seen if they will indeed find a worthy marquee competition to garner mass appeal from the combat sports fandom.

Does Schaub have a point? Was the UFC’s offer fair? Do you think Ngannou would have lost the Jon Jones fight? What are your thoughts on Schaub’s comments?? Let us know in the comments below.

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