Yeah, I hate modern day football, actually pretty much any large scale business, it's just ruthless. While, I probably wouldn't go to the lengths of calling him a tactical genius, I think that's just media sensationalism, he was a decent manager, probably managing at the level that suits him best, and I think his tactics suited Leeds. There aren't many other managers out there that would be interested in coming to Leeds, while still being on the same level as Bielsa.
They haven't been playing bad at all, they've just been lacking in a few key areas, and recently they've come up against some pretty decent sides which has made it look worse than it is. I have no doubt once they have their full team back they'll be playing exciting football again. They've never been a team known for their defensive capabilities, but rather their attacking football, hence why they're so popular from a neutral point of view.
Its not like they aren't playing at the level expected, when they finished mid table that was a shock, that wasn't their natural level, and it was always going to be that teams adjusted to their attacking style, that's what the Premier League is all about. So, I always expected them to struggle a little more compared to that season. I'm not sure what the entitlement is form the board expecting that they have to perform to that level every season.
Well I wouldn't call him one either, but I don't think I'd call any manager a genius. I know a lot of highly respected managers like Poch and Guardiola rank him among the best though and a lot of managers seem to sing his praises, but a manager is only as good as the players he's got on the pitch. I think people put too much faith in managers and they're certainly an easy scapegoat when things go wrong. Always annoys me when people hype up managers and the only teams they've managed are one of the biggest clubs in the world. Go to a minnow club and achieve something with them then we'll discuss world class managers. And yeah, money ruins everything. I wonder how much Leeds' potential takeover by 49ers Enterprises had in play of sacking Bielsa. They were looking to fully buy out the club but that would very likely change if they get relegated so maybe there was a lot of pressure there. Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta were always singing Bielsa's praises and were praying he'd re-sign for the this season but now they get rid as soon as they start to feel the heat? I honestly don't know what they hope to achieve by sacking him. Is someone going to come in and revitalise the squad? I doubt it. Like you said, they've had a tough month and are missing a lot of key players. They're almost certainly going to end up in the relegation zone seeing as two of the teams below them have two games in hand but let Bielsa battle it out. They're playing a lot of struggling teams in the next month or so so they could easily grab some points from those but now whoever is managing them will get the credit if they do so. |
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Man United fucked my acca up yesterday. Nobody backed the draw and only one person went with an away win. What is the deal in Brighton, snow? I see the game is postponed because of traffic problems and should be played a bit later.
Spurs stormed Leeds in first 20 minutes and settled the question of the winner very early on. I just read before the game that Leeds squad is running on average 5 km less then when season started. Very clear stat that shows how tired the team is and I can't believe they did not buy some players in January transfer window. They are becoming relegation candidate fast, same as Brentford.
They've had Bamford and Phillips out since early season so that will have made an impact. I think I read a while back that Bamford is one of the players that covers the most ground. Bielsa was sacked this morning. Don't see the point in it. They'll get relegated with or without him but should have given him the chance to try save them at least. Last season people called him a tactical genius but this season he's tactically inept? Not sure what he's meant to do with half their best players out. This is a similar situation to Ranieri at Leicester. Does something remarkable and then the next season they get rid as soon as it's looking glum. Leeds' owners were begging him to stay and re-sign last season. I really hate this culture of sacking managers as soon as things get dicey. Most managers don't even get the chance to make an impact. I don't even think Leeds have been playing that bad despite the stuffings they've been getting. They've been pretty unlucky really. Hit the woodwork twice in the Spurs game and probably should have had a couple of penalties. Those those things go your way and it's a different result. Similar situation in the Everton game where I think Rodrigo hit the crossbar twice (or maybe one of them was in another match but the point still stands that they've been pretty unlucky). I think they're more likely to get relegated without Bielsa than getting someone else in so it seems kinda futile to me. |
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I said he was always going to sign it. He was probably just trying to hardball some extra cash out of the fight. Can't blame him but he was never going to walk away from the biggest fight and payday of his career. After Whyte, he wants the winner of Usyk/AJ and then the Francis Ngannou superfight. That would be a great ending trilogy to Tyson's career.
You think he will end his career after several fights? There is still Joseph Parker that might give Fury some troubles. What about fourth fight against Wilder? That will be hilarious and really humiliating if he wins. Situation with Fury might turn into situation with Canelo, when there are no more new opponent to beat. With Canelo, there are options to change fighting division, with Fury - doubtfully. That the only option for him to fight, Ruiz for example, looser of Usyk/AJ. I don't know, but he's mentioned possible retirement before. Lets look at it realistically. We're lucky if we get one fight a year from the super-star heavyweights these days. He's 33 now so those three fights are likely to take him to 36-37. Realistically how long does he want to keep fighting? He's arguably still at his peak right now but one loss will change that and is that something he wants to lose? Being undefeated he'll go down as one of the greatest boxers of all time and a loss would severely dent that. I really can't see him doing more than 2 or 3 fights after the Whyte fight. Who else is there? Do the winner of AJ/Usyk, get all the belts, then have one novelty cross-promo fight with Ngannou and call it quits. It's not like he needs the money and seems to live quite humbly for the most part so I don't think he's going to be one of those boxers that is fighting pushing 40 and keeps coming out of retirement for another payday. |
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I won't every say that Wolves is a bad team even if they are ...because I simply cannot understand how they're winning games and how they can score...honestly.
At this point , I think it's just pure chemistry between some players and some high skill levels as well because I must admit that some players could play on most of the top football clubs from Europe and with the summer break , some players will change teams for sure.
Traore has gone to Barca now as well. I suspect they'll start to fall down the table now. Great game, great win elsewhere with Soccer Blackjack but ah damn on this pool. I thought I'd finally get some respite with an exact score (which hilarious also put down as his pick) but then Elanga goes and makes it 4-2. Looks like United finally found a way to not crumble after losing a lead. Good for most of us, but I did lose money on a Leeds upset haha.
Great game, was actually expecting a red card at some point but I think Tierney was trying to not let things boil over as he'd already dished out plenty of yellows. NINE in 2nd half!
Yeah, very annoying when you lose the correct score by one goal. Is anyone having problem with Flashscore.co.uk? It's not loading on my browser. I am not sure if this is my internet connection or their site is down.
Tomorrow we have three match. Just in case anyone missed to pick their teams, do it. I am looking forward to Livepool vs Leeds. Hope we continue the spirit of winning and step ahead for the season title.
Superbru or flashscore? If the latter use Sofa score https://www.sofascore.com/football/2022-02-24Also, those three games are today. There's only one match tomorrow: Arsenal - Wolverhampton. |
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I usually stick a little amount 0.5-20p on a few of the both teams to score in both halves, 2 corners each team in each half and two cards each accumulators on skybet. You can get huge odds on them especially when you combine 2-4. I was literally one goal and one corner away from a ridiculous sum fairly recently. I've put a quid on it tonight on the Manchester Utd v Brighton match at 101 odds so that will net me 101 but I'm only expecting 1-1 in the game to be honest but it's worth the punt. Could see a fair few goals and it could get a bit spicy if things aren't going United's way.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that puts ludicrous bets down, and actually from time to time get close enough to start sweating buckets. Seriously, I've had some good horrible times just sitting there watching my bigger accumulators come close. They're the best ones. A little money for a lot of fun (potentially at least - not that much fun when the first game lets you down haha). I don't mind throwing 5p at them as they can get quite exciting when the results are coming your way. Sometimes it's worse that with online bookies let you cash out. There's been a fair few times when they've offered me a cash out of £50-£100 from a crappy 5-10p bet or something but I've let it run because you could potential win thousands or even tens of thousands, but obviously you then go on to lose and wish you would have taken the cash when you can. With that being said, I'd rather lose out on that than thousands so that's why 9/10 I let them run. A few years ago Skybet posted an accumulator someone had won. It was a 5 or 10p bet or something and I think they won 250k on a four team accumulator. If I remember correctly it was 4 lower league teams and the both teams to score in both halves, 2 corners each team in each half and two cards each I mentioned above. They love posting big wins because it just encourages others to do them. I've actually won quite a few of them on singles but I only put them on games I suspect can get a bit spicy with a lot of goals. Of course my bet on last nights game failed miserably with it being 0-0 at half time. Hopefully it'll be my first yellow cap! Looks like two people can still catch up by getting a correct score and they're both going for a United win, while I picked a 1-1 draw  Should be pretty exciting to see who comes out on top. Do I cheer for a United win or for my yellow cap? 🤔 This is a great example of why we all shouldn't publicly state our expectations ... because I was in exactly the same situation, (It seems that a huge number of points warms the soul, but due to the absence of a yellow cap, it becomes not so rosy).In any case, you are not alone in your disappointment as the second goal in the 97th minute knocked my accurate prediction for this match off balance.  Probably my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned it and jinxed it  . |
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Looks like Darkstar will probably get the yellow cap this week. Tonight's game might be a tricky one though. United should win and most will likely back that but I can see a draw given both teams recent form. Shame I didn't have one more point this week as a correct score would probably give me the yellow cap . Not sure how I've managed to get myself into third place either. Only half a point behind second place as well. Liverpool, and Aston Villa let me down today for 25k. It was an accumulator which had a few UFC fights sprinkled in, however I had Aston Villa to win, which if you take a look at how they conceded, and how their goal was ruled out, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Although, I also needed Liverpool to win in both halves, which they didn't manage to do. Probably the closest I've every come to that sort of money.
I usually stick a little amount 0.5-20p on a few of the both teams to score in both halves, 2 corners each team in each half and two cards each accumulators on skybet. You can get huge odds on them especially when you combine 2-4. I was literally one goal and one corner away from a ridiculous sum fairly recently. I've put a quid on it tonight on the Manchester Utd v Brighton match at 101 odds so that will net me 101 but I'm only expecting 1-1 in the game to be honest but it's worth the punt. Could see a fair few goals and it could get a bit spicy if things aren't going United's way. |
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I hope Whyte will sign the contract too. I am convinced he deserves a bigger share of the purse, it should be around $12 million in his pocket but instead he is going to receive $7.4 million. Younger boxers are coming up through the ranks therefore it is hard to see how Whyte will be ever be the WBC number one contender again in future - he has to seize this opportunity and try his best in the ring to dominate Fury even though the chances of him winning are slim to none.
In my opinion, Fury will have an easy fight and an easy victory.
He'll sign it before the deadline. There's no way he's walking away from this fight over a little extra cash. He's just trying to squeeze some more juice out of it which is what I would do in his position so I can't blame him. He won't get this opportunity again and it's more than just cash on the line as the belts are up for grabs so he's just playing hardball whilst he can. Like most I don't believe he will trouble Fury but you never know with boxing. Even a good performance from Whyte will gain him some fans though and up his stock for future fights. One thing I'm excited for about Tyson is he's actively seeking all the fights I want him to and mentioned earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0cS-3f702AAfter Whyte, he wants the winner of Usyk/AJ and then the Francis Ngannou superfight. That would be a great ending trilogy to Tyson's career. |
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Thanks for the link, does not look good for Greenwood. I am always having a bit of doubt when it comes to famous persons and such allegations but if it true he deserves whatever comes his way. By my count Burnley has 6 postponed games and they really could have played one or two in this break. I always have doubts when people accused are famous persons like football players being one of the most attacked lately.We hear a lot of people about abuse and all sort of things but which can guarantee us that the accuser is not doing it just to get a lot of money as compensation and in most cases nothing was proofed to the public.I hope the same is for Greenwoods. For the picks I think it is still early with the only game being played at Saturday Burnley vs Watford and the other games are at 8 February,a lot can happen until then so I will put my predictions minimum 24 hours before a game starts. I'm not one of those 'believe all women' idiots and there's always two sides to a story and I like to wait for all the evidence before making a judgment but there's audio of him being pretty abusive so it's not looking good for him. Often times it comes down to he said she said but when there's evidence of the abuse you're pretty much screwed and you should get what you deserve. Today is the last game of the week we left behind Burnley vs Watford,I have gone for an upset if I can call it an upset for Watford to win 1-3 as a result,this is the only game of the Premier League during the weekend,the real action starts at Tuesday at 8 February,but this post I made it more as a reminder for people to not forget to put their prediction for the game of tonight.
Im hoping for a draw in this match to get me back on track. Last few rounds just killed me and i think this week for me its now or never to get back into top 10. I already made picks for this round a long time ago so i hope it turns out well in the end. It looks like your hope was fulfilled the game ended in a draw and most probably you are one of the few who got points for that game.I still find it really surprising that no goals were scored in a game where the last two teams of the standings played against each other.Most of the times in Premier League when such teams have played together usually goals were scored. This game had 0-0 written all over it for me. I definitely couldn't see anything other than a draw. It seems time for me to announce officially that I am resigning from this year's pool, LOL. I did not have a great run. After the first few rounds, I was sinking and now after a long gap I see it's impossible to chase a position in top10. Besides, I do not get much time to follow up with the matches. Only watching very few selective matches. So, it's best for me not to mess around this season any more.
Good luck to all who are grinding. I will rejoin in the next season.
Don't quit. There's still everything to play for and that's not even including the weekly free bet. The tables can turn pretty fast in the league. At least just stick your scores in on superbru in advance if you don't have time to follow the games. You can always change them if you decide to resume playing at some point. |
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There were hassles in trying to promote the fight because Whyte was after 70/30 split from the beginning which is why the WBC took action and forced a blind bid and also a split which was nearer to 80/20 but with a bonus involved for the winner.
Currently as it stands, Whyte will get $7.4 million for the fight which is around 18% of the $41 million purse and Fury will get $29.5 million which is around 72%. To be fair to Whyte he has a point because he was hoping to get $12 million for a 30% share because he is the WBC number one contender.
Even if Whyte somehow manages to win the fight he will pocket $7.4 million plus the $4.1 million bonus which equates to $11.5 million which is around 28% of the purse. I sympathise with him because the purse split works in favour of Fury because he will probably win in style and pocket the $4.1 million bonus which takes his total of the purse to $33.6 million which is around 82%.
It seems it's actually an 80/20 split according to sources (unless they've rounded it up): https://www.ringtv.com/633384-dillian-whyte-continues-to-pursue-equitable-purse-split-versus-tyson-fury/Which I think is fair to be honest and they're both getting what they deserve. Fury earned a minimum of £20million for the trilogy fight against Wilder while Whyte only earned £4million for his rematch against Povetkin. I can't blame him for wanting more but he's really not the draw here. I don't think the PPV numbers will do anything close to what the Fury/Wilder fights did and next to nobody is going to be watching this for Dillian. Whyte should understand that this is the one and only chance to get at a world title again if he loses the opportunity he will have a long wait to get a crack again because there's negotiation for World title unification and there's also Joshua and besides this is a Fury, considered to be the number one heavyweight champion, he should move forward get himself ready for the biggest fight of his career if he wins this one, it's like winning a lottery he will be in command and he is in a better position to deal now.
Based on the poll nobody wants to put a bet on Whyte even if he is capable of knocking out Fury, I also don't see him hitting Fury because he is to huge and to quick for Whyte.
He isn't going to let this chance go. He'll just kick up a fuss to try squeeze some extra cash out of the fight but I'd bet a bollock he signs that contract before the deal expires. He loses far too much by not taking it and especially when the belts are on the line. |
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The only thing making me think that he will return is surely he's going to need some money at some point? Fighters usually need to fight to pay the bills and I can't imagine he's got many if any sponsors right now so what is he living on right now? The thing that gets me is is that Jones doesn't actually seem like a bad guy. Seems quite nice really but always gets himself into trouble. He just needs to come back and make a name for himself again and put his past behind him. Ngannou hasn't got many options left really for worthy opponents so I'd love to see this fight happen. It'll surely be a huge draw for the UFC and at least Dana is actively trying to make it happen but I'm sure it'll all come down to money and both fighters are going to be wanting big bucks for this.
You'd think so, I'm not sure how screwed on Jones is outside the ring in terms of saving, and investments, but he doesn't really give off the impression hes got a back up plan. He probably knows he can walk into a UFC contract, and get big money, so probably isn't all that concerned. You know what, I remember listening to a podcast that Jones was on, and I remember going away from it thinking the media has portrayed him in a different light to what he really is, since he seemed quite a rational guy, who seemed to get into situations, and then handle them badly at the time, which isn't really is fault in high stress situations. Though, with the domestic abuse claims, and all of that, I wouldn't go as far as to say hes a nice person, although come to think of it I never actually followed the stories enough to know if any of them were legitimate, and not just unproven claims. Well I'm not saying he is a good guy or saint, he just comes across as pretty likeable and level-headed from what I've seen of his interviews, but obviously people can appear to be nice people but are actual sociopaths in reality. Most of his problems seem to stem from alcohol which he admits he's got a problem with so hopefully he's kicked the habit. He needs to get back into the sport though. I am following some UFC news youtube channels and today interesting video appeared. UFC has contacted Stipe Miocic manager and offered a fight against Jon Jones for a interim heavyweight title. Why interim - because Ngannou will have a surgery soon. Why Miocic - because Gane just had a fight, Miocic is top2 and JJ needs a test fight in heavyweight before having a real title fight against a champ. This might be fake, but the whole scenario looks interesting.
That wouldn't be a bad tune-up fight for Jones actually before facing Ngannou. I don't think it would be wise for him to go straight into that with being out of the ring for so long and it being hist first fight in heavyweight. If he blitzes Stipe it'll hype up the Francis fight a bit more as well. |
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Something is not right about the Fury vs Whyte fight because the WBC have given Whyte to return signed contracts by 21st February 2022. It seems the brother of Whyte is saying the fight might not go ahead. Whyte is after a 70/30 split of the purse and this is getting messy but Fury has been taunting Whyte is typical Fury fashion Isn't he already getting 25%? That's the best payday he'll be getting ever unless he wins the fight for that extra 4 mill bonus (which he probably knows almost certainly isn't going to happen). Maybe this is just a business tactic to try squeeze some extra juice out of it before signing. I doubt Dillian is going to let this fight slip away though so I'm sure he'll sign on the dotted line before the due date and is probably just being cheeky trying to see what extra he can get. It's going to be annoying if all these fights keep getting pushed back because it leads to less big-name fights for this year and I'm sure we're all wanting to see the winners of this fight and the AJ Usyk before the end of the year. |
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29M for a single fight is more than a life time MMA career. What change does Whyte against Fury? But maybe he is faster. He wouldnt be a boxer if he is whimp.
Such big money for a fight. Its no wonder Ngannou really wants to be in boxing than where he is good at which is MMA. Afaik they were tweet exchange with Fury between the two but have not madea huge buzz to make promoters interested.
Now you can see why superstars like Ngannou are desperate to box. You really can't blame them. 500k-1 mill for a tougher MMA fight or multiple millions to box. I think the UFC should really consider having a boxing promo arm or something or just do cross sport promo events with their biggest fighters. They're going to lose their superstars once they run down their contracts. It seems like it's in everyone's interest to keep both parties happy. Francis Ngannou will be rehabbing his injured knee for the next year or so. That removes him from the list of prospects Tyson Fury can face. Regardless of the injury he likely wouldn't have been able to fight Fury until next year anyway as after the Dillian fight he'll almost certainly be fighting the winner of AJ/Usyk. If Francis does have surgery it looks like he'll be running his UFC contract down so could be free and able to fight Fury next year. Whyte appears to be a relative newcomer. I think the decision to face him, has a lot to do with Tyson Fury no longer having the motivation he once did to train hard in preparation for fights. Tyson Fury is looking for easy paydays now.
Whyte definitely isn't a newcomer. Definitely been around for a decade at the very least. Has fought other big fighters, however hes never really been good enough to be considered a top contender. I'd say a excellent gatekeeper along with Chisora. Yeah, he might not be a household name but he's a fairly decent fighter and only lost 2 out of his 30 fights and one of them was against AJ when he was unbeatable. He lost to Povetkin back in 2020 but won the rematch in 2021. He's past his prime now though so that's why I think it will be an easy win for Tyson and Fury is still in his prime in my opinion but once he hits 35 it could likely start to decline. It looks like it is going to be an easy money for Fury. On the boxrec, Whyte is top5 in the world and top3 in UK, meaning he is not the best of the best available.
Whyte is not a pure boxer. He did some MMA and kickboxing. These skills are useful, but completely useless against top1 boxer, against a guy who has been in boxing for whole life.
He's a pro boxer with a pretty good record. He did MMA once back in 2008 so that doesn't mean much. Not a single person in poll believes in Whyte. Similar situation was in a fight against Usyk and Joshua, but in this fight, miracle wont happen. When Fury wins, do you think he will win Usyk and finish his career, or he will continue ?
He could retire, but I think he might go for one or two more superstar fights like with Ngannou or something. Personally after the Whyte fight I'd like to see him fight both Usyk and AJ (regardless of who wins) and then finish it off with Ngannou or something. |
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^ Let's just move on about the fighter payments because we can not do something about it Dana White is controlling it and if he wants to just give this small amount to his fighter then that is what is going to do because he owns UFC,
I think it's still worthy of discussion because it's seriously keeping both the sports of UFC and boxing back. We're going to lose great MMA fighters and be deprived of exciting cross-over events like Tyson/Ngannou. We also won't get new fighters signing with the UFC knowing that they're going to be stiffed. I know Dana is running a business and needs to make money but I think we can all agree fighters should be getting paid more. I don't think fighters should get greedy or too big-headed either but they should be paid what they deserve and Francis Ngannou should not be getting paid anything less than 1 million a fight right now. Dialogue about pay is good because it puts pressure on the UFC to make things right. Even that recent Jake Paul diss track is getting a lot of media attention and shining a spotlight on the restrictive UFC contracts so this sort of pressure is good because it'll likely lead to the UFC doing something about it to counter negative press. The UFC counts fighters as 'independent contractors' but they're really not. If they were then they could do what they want. They also have to wear all the UFC branded gear with the UFC sponsors on and normally all that sponsorship money would go to the fighters so that's another way they're getting stiffed out of money. In case this fight turns to be first Jones fight after big break I would bet all money on Ngannou to win.
Not sure I'm going to be that confident if this fight does end up happening, however you can bet all your money that I'll be cheering on Ngannou to knock out Jones. It isn't a secret that I don't like Jones, I think Jones has created a reputation for himself outside of MMA, and that's taken away from his achievements that hes got in the cage. A shame because he's one of the best MMA fighters to have entered the UFC, dominated for a period, but looked a little shaky towards the end of his career. The only thing making me think that he will return is surely he's going to need some money at some point? Fighters usually need to fight to pay the bills and I can't imagine he's got many if any sponsors right now so what is he living on right now? The thing that gets me is is that Jones doesn't actually seem like a bad guy. Seems quite nice really but always gets himself into trouble. He just needs to come back and make a name for himself again and put his past behind him. Ngannou hasn't got many options left really for worthy opponents so I'd love to see this fight happen. It'll surely be a huge draw for the UFC and at least Dana is actively trying to make it happen but I'm sure it'll all come down to money and both fighters are going to be wanting big bucks for this. Francis has a couple of advantages just of the top of my head. Firstly, he is accustomed to fighting at that weight. Whatever time Jon takes to gradually put up the weight and to accustom himself to it through training camp, it can't compare to actually fighting at that weight, especially in 5 rounders. The second is continuity. Sure, Dom Cruz said ring rust doesn't exist, but still, Francis has had more continuity over the past couple of years than Jon, and that could also play a factor. And thirdly, I just think Francis has a lot more to prove and a bigger chip on his shoulder right now than Jon, and that could drive him forward.
Jones is probably more athletic and could have better cardio than Francis. We saw how tired he got in the late rounds with Gane so anything can happen. It would be an interesting fight but I'd hope for a spectacular Francis KO. Anyone still believes we will see Jon Jones in octagon? Or see him against Ngannou? Jon Jones has been inactive for 2 years. Usually fighters that come from such a pause lose. If Jones returns and losses in his first fight in heavyweight, would people be still interested in him? Specially with his behavior.
If Dana offered him the big bucks he'd probably fight tomorrow. I think he demanded 30 million to fight Francis if the articles can be believed: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mma/jon-jones-makes-huge-purse-23969454Realistically for that sort of fight he's going to want a few million. Give them that and a decent cut of PPV sales so it gives them encouragement to sell the fight. Like I said before, if Brock Lesner can get 2.5 million then these two should be getting the same if not more. That's gotta be a far bigger PPV draw that Lesner. Who cares about a wrestler vs two of the all time greats? |
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I wonder what the best option for NGANNOU is come his free agency. If he fights the gypsy king it will definitely boost his public profile along side Connor. Connor is dropping off. How long will these McGregor stans hold onto the lucky clover as he continues down the path of his obviously demise.
I think Ngannou's best bet is to just wait to fight Tyson rather than having some warm up fights with bums. If he doesn't do great or loses the excitement for the Tyson fight will wane or Tyson just won't take it. Francis is going to have to wait till December to run his contract down and Tyson is fighting Whyte fairly soonish and then I'm guessing he'll fight the winner of AJ/Usyk by the end of the year so if he wants a shot at Tyson he's probably going to have to wait till 2023 anyway so it could work out great for all. Maybe Francis could take on Wilder or something as well since he's not up to much these days. Might be a good fight for them both actually as Wilder also has that one punch knock out power. As for McGregor, he's at serious risk of becoming a bum if he keeps losing because his stock drops with each loss, though I still think he's got a big enough fanbase that will support him no matter what so he'll still be a huge draw but just not to the levels he was at for the Mayweather fight. According to Connor he has two fights left on his contract and has a goal of claiming all the top ten PPV fights which he could easily do: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/16916342/conor-mcgregor-ufc-contract-ppv-sales/I'm not sure who he should fight first. Maybe the trilogy with Nate or the fourth fight with Poirier. I'm sure Daddy Dana wants to give him a title shot with Charles Oliveira or maybe Justin Gaethje if he wins in May at UFC 274. Connor shouldn't be getting a title shot in his first fight back though. After that or if he choses not to resign with the UFC it wouldn't surprise me at all if Connor ends up fighting Jake Paul. Paul needs to be careful and not lose before that though because if he does he'll lose a lot of his allure. Him going into a McGregor match unbeaten will definitely sell the fight. If he has a couple more fights and keeps knocking people out then that will help his cause even more so. The thing is with the Ngannou situation is he isn't exactly young. He's 35 years old, and probably only has a maximum of five years left. It would just be a shame to keep him locked in, and not allow him to compete elsewhere. Even if Dana has to do something similar to what he did with the Conor boxing match, and take a cut. I'd think that would benefit Dana since there's a lot more money involved anyway in boxing. Realistically, the only logical step for Ngannou in the UFC is either a fight with Jones or a rematch with Gane. I personally don't see Jones stepping back in the cage, he seems content at creating a bit of a fuss outside of it, and claiming he would beat everyone easily.
Yeah, he knows he's probably got about three more years in him before he passes his peak. He's either going to re-sign or just run his contract down then do what he wants. There's no guarantee Tyson will fight him though as he's going to be a busy boy this year. After Whyte and then probably AJ or Usyk who is there left for him? Tyson/Ngannou would be a good retirement fight for both of them I think. Jones vs Ngannou though I can almost guarantee that Jones would be getting paid the most which would be unfair considering the amount of time he's been out, and the fact that Ngannou is the current champion, however that would do numbers for UFC. That would likely be a top 10 PPV event. So, the UFC can still benefit financially from Ngannou, they just need to take care of their man, allow him to box, and give him a nice share in any future mega fights. I'm not so sure about that. Jones has been out a long time. I'm not sure he deserves a title shot straight away either but I guess Dana can do what he wants, but if he was to fight Francis it should be a 50/50 split at most. I very much doubt Francis would be happy about getting paid less. Jones is probably more stubborn that Francis right now as well so that fight will be a nightmare to get sorted though I would like to see it. Dana does seem to be actively trying to make that fight happen for this year though: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/17460467/dana-white-francis-ngannou-jon-jones-fight-ufc-news/Francis re-matching Gane is risky in my opinion. That match was very close so he could easily lose that fight, though then I guess there's big bucks in a trilogy. Yup but the problem is it debases the UFC brand when their best fighters in the roster cross over to boxing just to lose. When McGregor lost to Mayweather, sure he got paid but his stock went down. McGregor became a meme. Boxing fans celebrated acting all like ‘we’re better’. I think that’s what Dana White wants to avoid. It would be a different story if somehow McGregor made it into a really close fight tho. We’d prolly see more cross overs.
I don't think so, but it depends how well they do. I thought Connor did pretty good in that fight, far better than I expected anyway. Heavyweight UFC is pretty much just boxing anyway. It's rare it goes to the ground and everyone was surprised by Francis' takedowns. Even if they lose they've always got the excuse to fall back on that they're not boxers but it's more eyeballs on both sports regardless. Francis against Tyson just needs to go for that killer knock out which he's entirely capable of. Can you image if he lands one of his best on Tyson? If Wilder can floor him then so can Ngannou. I'd love to see this fight. Now if Ngannou walks away, I don’t think he’ll be doing as well financially as he will be if he stays with the UFC. He’ll be like Fedor.
100% disagree. Like Welsh said, one fight with Fury will likely net him more than his entire UFC career. If Connor can get 30-100 million for fighting Mayweather and Dillian Whyte can get 7 mil for fighting Fury I think Francis can easy get 10 million for a Tyson fight. Seriously, yeah... Ngannou prolly is thinking of getting as much money now while he’s still at the top. But the problem is I think the UFC can’t give him a better deal than what he wants. I agree that they should pay him more but what if he’s asking a lot more than what the UFC is willing to give?
I don't think Francis is asking for too much. I think he just wants more than 500k and the option to fight in a boxing match. Give him a guaranteed 1 million a fight with a cut of the PPVs and let him box with it being a UFC-cross promo like the Mayweather fight and I'm sure he'll be happy. If Brock Lesner can get $2.5 million for fighting Mark Hunt back in 2016 then Ngannou should be able to get something similar. UFC is far bigger now than it was back then as well. Dana really needs to get it sorted because he's going to lose arguably the best heavyweight on the planet if he doesn't cough up the dough. Surely they'll lose more in the long-run by letting him go. |
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There are a lot of postponed games from these latest rounds and I think it would be great if they manage to play some of them during this windows,more specifically during this weekend,which doesn't seem to be the case unfortunately,
Yeah, you'd think they'd make the most of these periods of downtime considering they've got quite a hefty backlog of games. Though, I expect certain teams will complain because they have players away at AFCON etc. I'm surprised they haven't played some. I don't expect Burnley have many if any players away at the AFCON games, but regardless, football teams have to deal with injuries and absences anyway so that's no excuse. Most PL teams have squads big enough anyway to deal with missing players whatever the reason. I'm not sure how Burnley are going to squeeze in all their games by the end of the season. Aren't they 5 games behind? Hey local guys, what is the deal with Greenwood? PL twitter is full of twits like "career over", "monster", "disgusting"...
Could not find what he actually did but I sort of think it was some women involved and maybe rape. The story did not break yet to mainstream media it seems.
Looks like he allegedly beat up his girlfriend and either raped her or attempted to rape her: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10456829/Man-Utd-star-Mason-Greenwoods-girlfriend-accuses-beating-up.html |
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I expect this to be an easy fight for Fury. He'll then likely go on to fight the winner of AJ/Usyk and then I'm hoping Tyson gets a fight sorted with Ngannou for next year. Is there a date set for this or an estimated time? Hopefully it doesn't take too long to get sorted because if AJ/Usyk gets done we could see the winners fight by the end of the year. Matchroom Boxing (Hearn) bid $32 million but Queensberry Promotions (Warren) bid $41 million and that means Whyte gets the opportunity to fight Fury most probably in the UK. Fury tweeted: "BIG GK IS COMING HOME, UK BABY"
What exactly do these purse bids mean? When they're both the promotors of the fighters and it'll be a cross-promotion event why do they have to bid and what does that even mean for the fighters? I would've though that it'll be a joint-promotion and the governing body gets to decide the pay of each so why do the promoters have to bid for it? Warren posted a video on Twitter of Fury talking about Whyte: https://twitter.com/frankwarren_tv/status/1486635271772946437?cxt=HHwWioC-yea5y6EpAAAA“ I can’t wait to punch Dillian Whyte’s face right in mate. I’m going to give him the best hiding he’s ever had in his life, boy. Dillian Whyte, train hard sucker ‘cos you’re getting annihilated, bum.” They both decided to forget they knew each other in their early days working together and are now just resorting to insults A couple of pictures doesn't mean much. If they bump into each other on a night out they're likely to have a chat and take a picture. There's several pictures of Conor and Khabib seemingly pally if you go back far enough. Things can obviously sour over the years as well like they did with Connor and Khabib, but as Welsh also said they're obviously going to try sell the fight. Coming out and saying we're great of pals who go back years and I can't wait to have a nice friendly reunion in the ring doesn't quite get the same hype as I'm going to smash his face in. Even after all the shit talking building up to a fight most fighters who seemingly hate each other will usually hug it out or shake hands. |
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I think Israel Adesanya (got 600+ for his last fight) and Kamaru Usman (put a million in his pocket for last fight) are "second biggest draw right now". I just watch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UFC_records#Finances and make conclusion that Ngannou is not the biggest star in UFC, that allows him to dictate his rules. The top spots there are all taken by Connor. Take McGregor out of those and where else does everyone stack? I'm sure Ngannou is in the top ten, but just because he's not bringing in what Connor is doesn't mean he doesn't deserve more money. Regardless of where he is in the PPV rankings he's still a big draw and UFC's superstar heavyweight right now. I think his stock will only rise he if he keep fighting specially if he can get another of those vicious KOs. If he's landing more acting gigs that's even more eyeballs on him and the sport. Maybe you are right, and the only thing he isnt happy in his contract is the clause that does not allow him to fight outside UFC. If we return to McGregor, he gave up two belts, did not sign new contract with UFC and had a fight against McGregor. Why dont Francis Ngannou dont want to do the same? Ngannou probably will walk away if he doesn't get what he wants. And assuming you're talking about the Mayweather/McGregor fight he did that whilst still under contract with the UFC and it was a cross promo event with the UFC and Dana taking a cut of Connor's purse (see the UFC logo at the bottom):  I think Dana should extend the same courtesy that he did to Connor and let him box. If he doesn't then he'll probably just lose Francis all together so it's lose/lose for Dana/UFC in my opinion. |
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Yeah, they'll definitely be spinning it that way to get as much PPV's as possible. I mean I'm interested, we saw with Wilder that despite his lack of technical ability compared to Fury, he still caught him three times was it? The last fight they had, was probably the first time I've seen Fury actually hurt, he normally recovers quite well, but his legs did look a bit jelly like the last time, and I think Wilder noticed that too with the way he stepped up the pressure in that round. I was legitimately worried during that round, whereas the fights previously I wasn't too worried, despite that incredible knockdown where suddenly seemed to pop up.
Wilder caught him seriously in every fight I think, but with the last fight there was a couple of times where I thought it was over for both of them but they both got up and kept fighting. I need to watch the trilogy again but the last fight was a certified classic. Had everything you want from a fight. But why Francis is not doing this? Why is he still in UFC? You say due to contract? But he knew what he was signing. Maybe because there is no real offer for a boxing match for him and he is just speculation on his salary in UFC? He's still contracted for one more fight in the UFC but that's coming to an end. He signed the deal 5 years ago I believe and his stock has risen considerably since then. Ngannou probably will leave if he doesn't get the terms he wants, but due to the him winning the Gane fight he has a champions clause which means he's contractually obligated to defend the title but that apparently expires in December due to there being a 5 year limit in his contract so he could just run it down and become a free agent or take a better deal from the UFC. Regarding boxing, Tyson Fury is seemingly actively looking to fight Ngannou and has called him out several times even after the Gane fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hlbzgbnCAwAs for the pay, the base pay is public and announced by the California commission what the fighters get and 600k isn't much for where Francis is at right now: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/1/23/22897235/ufc-270-salaries-francis-ngannou-earns-600000-purse-for-win-over-ciryl-ganeFrancis Ngannou earned a purse of $600,000 for his hard-fought decision win over Ciryl Gane on Saturday in the main event of UFC 270. Gane got 500k I believe which is what Francis pretty much got for his last fight against Stipe. Do you think Francis should be paid more than 500-600k for a fight? McGregor gets millions and he's not even a champ.
Fighter should be paid the amount stated in his contract. When a plumber says he will charge you 1k, after you have agreed for 200 bucks, saying that electricians get more for their job, would you pay more? It's not really like that though. His contract is up and he's trying to negotiate more before re-signing. The bigger you get the more money you can demand just like McGregor. Ngannou is 10 times bigger now than he was 5 years ago so he should be expecting 1 million plus. If the money isn't there PPV wise then I could understand but I'm sure it did pretty well given it was a fight between the two current best heavyweights. I don't believe the PPV numbers were released for Francis' last fights so it's hard to tell. McGregor gets paid more for his name and for the level of popularity he moved UFC on. Do you think Ngannou did same for promoting UFC? He is just a big guy that brutally knocks people out. Yes, people enjoy to see how he knocks people. Currently Derrik Lewis holds the record for most knockouts in UFC, so Ngannou is not the most brutal beast in octagon.
Ngannou fights are not in PPV top, he is not the chicken that gives golden eggs. Should he be paid millions if UFC is not earning as much as from McGregor fights ?
Take McGregor out of the equation since he's out of action now and who is the second biggest draw right now? It's probably Francis. I don't know what his PPV numbers are like but they must be pretty big. Probably nowhere close to Connor but still enough to justify a bigger paycheck. I don't think Francis is being disrespectful or asking too much especially since his contract is effectively done or will be by the end of the year. I think he just wants what he believes he deserves or at least the option to go do a big-bucks boxing match. |
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Now, I am not an MCG fanboy by any means, nor am I a Francis denier, but he is nowhere close to stardom Conor was when he went to boxing. Could he make a couple of mil in boxing? Perhaps, but what after that? He will not be let back into the UFC. If anything, the UFC would gladly get rid of him to keep the status quo. So comparing Francis to Conor in terms of how much money he can make to comparable popularity is not really an indicator, because their stardom is, in fact, not comparable. Before Conor went boxing he was already somewhat of a household name. If we look outside of the MMA bubble, is Francis really known? No, not really. People have heard of him and they know of his freak punching power and his physical atributs, but besides that? No, not on the level MCG was. Can he become a bigger star in his own right? Yes he can, but he's not there yet.
He doesn't need to leave the UFC if he can get an allowance to fight in boxing like McGregor did. And Francis might not be technically a household name just yet but he's getting there and is still the best heavyweight in the UFC not to mention he is on record as the hardest hitter on the planet: Ngannou holds the record for the hardest punch ever landed at 129,161 units, with Dana White putting that figure into real-life situations. “His punches are equivalent to 96 horsepower. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mma/francis-ngannou-power-ufc-270-26006147That to me adds a level of excitement to the potential Fury fight, especially when Fury is unbeaten and most of Francis' fights don't make it past the first two rounds. Could Ngannou be the first person to fully KO Fury? And that's certainly how they'll sell it. He has the potential to knock anyone out on this planet so I'd love to see how Fury defends against that. Fury will easily outbox him but if Ngannou comes out swinging it could be a different matter. That's what I like about these cross-promo events is you don't really know what's going to happen and there's always the novelty element there. Win or lose for Francis he can just ride off into the sunset with his payday or go do something else like acting and he's already popped up in a couple of films (the last Fast & Furious and the upcoming Jackass movie and I'm sure there'll be many more). If he can get his UFC contract sorted then he can just go back to that and it shouldn't be impossible if Connor can do it. Even if Dana hates his guts (which I don't think he actually does) it would still be a huge blow for the UFC to lose him so it's in his interests to keep him happy. Give him a little more cash per fight and allow him to fight a boxing superstar and take a small cut of that then everyone is happy. |
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According to reports Dana gave an interview, which I'll admit I haven't watched yet, but during the interview he claimed he had other business going on outside the arena on the night of Ngannou vs Gane, and claimed he left either before or during the co main event. Just weird how he's handed out quite a few belts in his history, over one hundred belts, and it so happens that this night he was called out.
Dana addressed why he wasn't there for the belt. He said there was something going on backstage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFGulmviT8Not sure I believe him though. By the way, why everybody think thank Ngannou would earn millions in boxing? Before ufc created him a star, he was nobody. Without ufc promotion, would the world know that there is a boxer in France that knock people out cold? Would someone offer him a million cheque for the fight? He would need first ti go through number of fights, before he gets a real opponent and get paid huge.
Right now, if wants all that millions and boxing, why shouldnt he give belt to Gane and leave? If there are underwater stones in his contract, wait till he is completele free and whoever he want.
I understand White position. Ufc invested in Ngannou promotion, and now he or his manager just come and ask for more $. Now they want to get maximum from that investment.
Francis made Francis a star and some of the superstars outgrow the UFC like McGregor. I don't think there's many fighters in the UFC left for Francis either other than maybe a Gane rematch. Think of it like this though, would you work a job for 500k a year when you know you can go elsewhere to do the same thing and get paid multiple millions? UFC is a far harder sport than boxing as well. He would make multiple millions in boxing fighting a heavyweight superstar and he could walk into one straight away. Tyson Fury seems to be actively wanting this fight and he's the highest payday in boxing right now. Do you think Francis should be paid more than 500-600k for a fight? McGregor gets millions and he's not even a champ. I think people forget about how much money the fighters have to pay just to stay fit and healthy and in the game as well. It's not just a gym membership they have to pay for. They've got an entire team. A manger, a coach (often several in multiple disciplines), nutritionists, chefs etc. Then there's all the travel and accommodation costs. Once you've paid all that there's often not that much left from their pay. This effects the smaller fighters even more who are only getting 20k per fight etc. I remember reading that many up and coming fighters actually lose money because it costs so much just to prepare for a fight. |
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