ZUFFA BOXING -- Coming To You In 2018

[New England]

No stipends...
No more sponsors...

The deal that the UFC has with Reebox (the past couple of years now) is a complete JOKE. It makes no sense. It cut some fighter's pay by $100,000 per fight in some cases.

Bellator MMA president said that the Reebox deal has actually helped lure some 'name' fighter away from the UFC. In Bellator fighters are not limited to any one (cheapskate) sponsor.

they got a stipend for meals, last time i checked. i haven't looked into it in a couple of years. forbed or bleacher report, IIRC, got a contract and it had the details for how they provide for fighters during training and the period immediately leading into a fight. they provide rooms, etc.

i have heard about the reebok deal and how fighters are dissapointed, and i know that it's different from how it used ot be where they'd secure sponsorships that they could wear into the ring. but you have to consdier that promotors in boxing and Tv networks involved in boxing don't provide any of that typically.

[RedZmaja]

you have to worry about a "league" situation, like the UFC, where guys only fight under one umbrella, and won't fight opponents from other promotors. if he's coming into the sport with money, TV relationships, and is looking to work with other promotors it might go well. fighters in the UFC don't get paid a ton on the top end, but they ahve a middle class, something that doesn't exist in boxing for the most part. they ahve insurance, partnerships with sponsors, stipends to train, etc. in boxing you're pretty much either driving a milk truck and boxing part time, or you're on TV and making hundreds of thousands a year.

You're writing this from an American perspective.

For a non-American fighting in the UFC is a massive problem for several reasons. Most of the cards take place in America which means that you have to suffer jet lag or train at like 3AM at night to prepare for the American time, you can't have your local sponsors (a lot of boxers from Europe earn a lot of money this way because they can promote themselves in their countries and become stars there), you can't fight in front of your home crowd which would actually be interested in you - American audience will probably never be particularly interested in you if you're European especially if you don't have good English (resulting in not being a draw which in turn results in having to win a ton of fights to even get near a title shot) and all those American insurances and stipends to train don't mean anything for you.

Unless you're a Conor McGregor, being a European fighter the UFC is likely a bad choice for you. That's why a lot of Eastern Euros prefer to fight in their local promotions in Poland or in Russia.

The UFC is only good for American fighters or fighters who can for whatever reason become draws in America.

The UFC is basically an American sport like NASCAR. It doesn't have any global reach and it doesn't even try to expand. They only put **** cards in Europe, they've never even been to Russia.

[RedZmaja]

Ngannou has horrible technique and is a "6 foot 3 midget" like Tyson Fury would say. His cardio is really suspect even for MMA. He would never last 12 rounds in boxing, you already saw Conor's **** cardio.

Even this current fat version of Tyson Fury would humiliate him under the boxing ruleset. He would box his ears off.

[USMCer]

He reminds me a lot of Samual Peter. Knocking out notoriously chinny guys in MMA is totally different then Heavyweights in Boxing.

We saw that with Mcgregor having pitty patty power against Mayweather but those same shots were knocking people out in MMA.

And he'll end up just like Peter too.

Interesting comparison. Peter dropped Wlad, right?

Samuel Peter
6'2"
243 lbs (at his best)
77" Reach

Francis N'Gannou
6' 4"
262 lbs
83" Reach


Overeem gets a bad rap. He's not "chinny" so much as he has faced a murder's row of strikers (and comes from Kickboxing).


We never saw Conor commit to that big cross against the elusive Mayweather. Rogan said it, Kellerman said it, and I felt that way too.

Max Kellerman quote:

- "Conor McGregor, as most great fighters have, has an extremely high fighting-IQ. It's the reason he didn't really hit Mayweather with anything hard. He didn't load up on any punches...

Because Conor is smart enough to know, 'if I try to load-up on something, I'm not going to hit Floyd'... so he quick-punched him. He used his speed and hit him with arm-punches..."

[USMCer]

Ngannou has horrible technique and is a "6 foot 3 midget" like Tyson Fury would say. His cardio is really suspect even for MMA. He would never last 12 rounds in boxing, you already saw Conor's **** cardio.

Even this current fat version of Tyson Fury would humiliate him under the boxing ruleset. He would box his ears off.

What about N'Gannou vs Wilder?

Not that that's ZUffa Boxing's plan -- UFC guy vs Boxer -- but just to entertain that other poster's comment.

[RedZmaja]

What about N'Gannou vs Wilder?

He maybe has a puncher's chance against Wilder and Joshua, it's the HW division after all, but other than that they're just too experienced for him at this point. They would use their range and ring positioning to keep him at bay and then eventually catch him with something.

Either way with those two guys it wouldn't go past 3 or 4 rounds. Either Ngannou lands a lucky shot out of nowhere in the first or those two break him apart in 3.

[RedZmaja]

What about N'Gannou vs Wilder?

Not that that's ZUffa Boxing's plan -- UFC guy vs Boxer -- but just to entertain that other poster's comment.

I wouldn't be surprised if they would put Ngannou against someone like Joshua if 1) Ngannou becomes a big draw 2) Joshua becomes a big draw and those two then fight in 2020 or something like this after they both clean their divisions.

The fight would have big marketing potential and all kinds of angles - Cameroon vs Nigeria, USA vs Britain, MMA vs boxing... Two big monsters in the most prestigious division in combat sports. If they put on McGregor vs Floyd, they might as well bring this one to the audience as well. The new management of the UFC is all about the circus fights and making money. Dana White seems to be a Joshua fan too and recognized his potential. Even though I don't think Ngannou would have a chance I would definitely watch something like this, it's a fight with guaranteed KO.

Personally I don't think Ngannou will beat Stipe though so it might slow down his hype train a bit.

[USMCer]

they got a stipend for meals, last time i checked. i haven't looked into it in a couple of years. forbed or bleacher report, IIRC, got a contract and it had the details for how they provide for fighters during training and the period immediately leading into a fight. they provide rooms, etc.

i have heard about the reebok deal and how fighters are dissapointed, and i know that it's different from how it used ot be where they'd secure sponsorships that they could wear into the ring. but you have to consdier that promotors in boxing and Tv networks involved in boxing don't provide any of that typically.

Oh, they might get meals and that (they're also invited to use the new UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas 'free of charge') but it's not like they get a monthly check when they're not fighting.

And wait, are you saying that Boxing promotions restrict Boxers from securing their own sponsorship (Ads on their trunks, etc)? Or is it that it's not common practice?

I dont' think Boxers sign away their name and likeness in perpetuity when they sign with a Boxing promotion, like fighters do when they sign with the UFC vampires.

[Eff Pandas]

I personally don't care if it succeeds or fails but I will say that the last thing boxing needs right now is ANOTHER promotion that isn't going to get along with other promotions and will keep the best from fighting the best. We were finally start to make some progress in the promoter wars, now this...

I think competition is often good.

If anything I believe the UFC will most likely do one of two things as far as boxing as a whole goes. They'll either come in & do things well &/or do some new things & up the game of everyone else, who'll hijack some things that are working or catching on with the fans who watch Zuffa Boxing. Or they'll freak out everyone in boxing to some level of peace among each other & then go out of there way to work together to try to take attention away from the UFC in hopes they can drive them out of the business.

[Eff Pandas]

This is how ZUFFA Boxing can succeed in Boxing.

Have a PROFESSIONAL BOXING FIGHT in the OCTOGON instead of a traditional Boxing Ring.

Also 5 minute rds instead of 3 might be interesting.

What would be great is if they could use those 4oz MMA gloves but no commision would allow that. Maybe they could cheat and say its a MMA fight and allow some stand up grappling? but no kicks or ground work.

Yessssss. I've been rooting on some hybrid version of boxing/MMA for awhile.

And I've been a fan of boxing using lighter gloves for years on top of that. I think the padding inside of gloves actually INCREASES the danger boxers deal with in the ring. The brain is a giant *****. There isn't any halfway decent shot that isn't shaking around your brain in your head & thats bad & not gonna make your life any easier as you start to age. If you are fighting its better to get blacked the f#ck out in 3 rounds with one punch than getting your a$$ pounded for 8 rounds & hurt + dropped twice before getting KO'd while taking 4 to 5 times the punches.