Fury vs. N'Gannou: Battle of the Baddest

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

"Ill **** anyone for a million bucks" steven seagal.
Also majority of pro athletes not judging just observing.

Fury vs. N'Gannou
Tyson Fury, TKO, R7
Genuinely one of the most pathetic and predictable bouts I've ever seen announced, even worse then the 3rd Chisora fight, instead of challenging himself with seasoned, ranked opponents like AJ and Usyk, the lineal heavyweight champion of the world instead wants a quick buck fighting an MMA guy who's never been in the ring professionally (something Jake Paul was slated for).

if Ngannou wins he will become the World Champion in all of fighting and he will create his own country in Africa where everyone has to dig sand.

Fury vs. N'Gannou
Tyson Fury, TKO, R5
I love check hooks and I think those punches will be the story of this fight. So unlike McGregor, Ngannou does have a legit chance of knocking out his opponent here, but it's still a ******* big mountain to climb because unlike McGregor, Ngannou has none of the footwork. All I see from Ngannou are chaotic linenal entries that he can blitz you with because of his freakish athleticism, but for a boxer at the very top of the sport this is something that should be easily avoidable imo, and one of the best weapons against these crazy attacks in a straight line are check hooks that you pivot and just blast them with their own momentum as they're rushing in. If Fury doesn't finish the fight by the 5th round, I just see Ngannou gasping for air, like a fish out of water...

Francis getting the best paycheck of his entire career!

I'm an MMA guy so I'm backing Francis. Knock his head off, Francis! 3rd round KO! 

Francis secures the bag and makes Dana White and all the people who said he was nobody outside of the UFC cries and hate about a person from humble beginnings securing his financial future. 

The result in the ring is the least important: Francis Ngannou and his bank account scores a big W and Dana took a massive L that even the UFC won't do a Fight Night that weekend.

But some people thinks Francis needs to fight Jon Jones and renew his contract in the UFC to prove that he was a brave fighter instead of securing his future after fighting injured against Ciryl Gane.

 I will watch the fight without many expectations because despite his Brutal KO Power, Ngannou has never stood out for having great technique in his striking. In the end it’s true that Fury is delaying the HW division by fighting Ngannou instead of unifying with Usyk, but I am happy because after all the drama Francis will manage to get the fight he wanted and the financial benefits.

* Edited at 10.15.2023, 10:03 PM ET *

Dana took a massive L because Francis stood on his principles and didn't resign..sounds like BUSINESS to me 😂

Because Francis took a W doesn't mean somehow Dana n the UFC took a L, Heavyweight division is better and more marketable for the UFC rn than when Ngannou was champ.

+TO the mentally deficient, the UFC doesn't need Ngannou 😂 and nobody is paying to watch him in PFL.

* Edited at 10.16.2023, 3:28 PM ET *

I still don't blame Fran for any of this he always said I wanna box he should have trained that not MMA.
Even though he is 95% losing this he wants it and he will at least be a man about it.
None of the UFC stuff is important anymore, he is in the bumfight leagues eventually doing super fights for dirty oil money.
Not sure what principles are involved on that but it is effectively fake news.

Man, Francis took a W because his going to receive a 30 Million paycheck in a single fight instead (in better case) of continuing in the UFC earning 350K + win bonus because he isn't a marketable champ or fighter despite being a KO Machine. 

You're right UFC don't need Ngannou and Dana White the Businessman don't take a L. But Dana White the person did take a huge L, more than all because it is well known that Dana acts like a crybaby when things They don't go the way they want (perfect example UFC 282 post event press conference). I respect the fact that thanks to Dana White, MMA is what it is and that he has been able to exercise a sports business model that has managed to show how archaic and backward the boxing business is, whose exponents such as HBO (which have already discontinued their boxing cards) , Top Rank, PBC have been stuck in the past.

But I'm really happy about situations like Nate Diaz beating Tony Ferguson in a Main Event in his last UFC fight because Khamzat missed weight by a brutal margin and that now Francis gets his superfight against Fury after Dana White and he competed They only knew how to parrot "Francis fumbles the bag" because he didn't want to fight Jones or sign for 7 more fights to have free entry to the UFC PI. What Francis does in PFL and the profitability of his fights is irrelevant both in his role as a fighter and as a director of PFL Africa.

Ngannou secures his future in 2 weeks just by stepping into the ring. In the end Francis makes a really good business move betting in himself, the thing about the Fighters Association is a fairytale: Neither Francis Ngannou nor Jake Paul opened their mouths when PFL disqualified Schulte or Manfio from the tournament for their Live Television Sparring Session to give way to Shane Burgos for the play-offs and that supposedly PFL is a friend of the fighters.

PS: Also Ngannou don’t needs Matchroom to secures his big paycheck and I’m really glad about this because Eddie Hearn is a sickness to Boxing.

McGregor's disclosed purse for losing to Mayweather was $30mil (obv made much more).  They sold the **** out of that fight in media, press conferences in various countries.  4.3 million PPV buys U.S. and almost another 900k in the UK.

I think Fury-N'Gannou would very much overachieve if it did more than 10% of that combined buyrate, so not sure a 30 million dollar payday is in the cards for Francis. 

* Edited at 10.16.2023, 5:14 PM ET *

@Amettxpc 

I agree with everything you said. 

My point was just saying UFC and Dana took the L right now is like saying NGannou fumbled the bag; it's just way too early. 

What if NGannou bleeds the PFL in 2-3 years? Than the UFC in all actuality would've won that trade. Killed a major promotion by giving them a star they can't pay for.
 
Trust me I'm just as happy as you for Ngannou, he broke the code.

* Edited at 10.16.2023, 5:18 PM ET *

You're right: Ngannou's contract with PFL is somewhat unsustainable considering that Francis isn't a PPV Draw and his future opponents AKA Actual PFL HW Fighters don't have the worth value to justify a 7-figure salary. 

I don't know what the PFL owners' budget is or where they get the money from, but signing Francis was not a good business decision, even taking into account that they could make a good crossover with a superfight against Anatoly Malykhin (ONE FC HW Champion) the Russian is an unknown fighter outside Asia and it is not going to be a very lucrative fight. 

Not to mention that it is not known how much motivation Francis will have left as a fighter after getting more money in a single fight than in everything he has had and will have in his career besides becoming Head Chief of PFL Africa

As far as I understand, McGregor got 100 million for his fight against Floyd: From there he invested in Proper Twelve (which he later sold for 600 million) and also in other projects such as his own Irish Pub and McGregor Fast, which is a training app and supplements line. 

In the past McGregor sounded dilusional when he wanted shares in the UFC after his fight against Cowboy, but with his current bank account he could easily own a middle-upper level football club in Premier League (like Aston Villa or even Tottenham). Let it not be strange that McGregor's biggest scandals have been after the sale of Proper Twelve, the man simply no longer cares about the law and feels that his bank account puts him above anything (not counting the yes -man around).

* Edited at 10.16.2023, 11:14 PM ET *

@Amettxpc 

I think PFL signing NGannou was a necessary risk, wether it kills them or turns them into a household mma promotion is something they gotta live with.

They will never capture the casual audiences attention doing what they are currently doing.

With Bellator supposedly going down, the PFL is all the UFC really has for competition now.

Itauma vs. Bernath
Moses Itauma, TKO, R3
Yeah

risk decision is something fundamental in the business world, sometimes it can go very well, other times very badly: PFL has an interesting format, but as for the Fighting League concept, in my opinion they applied it in a better way in the 2 seasons prior to the pandemic.

About risky signings, PFL has already taken several and with little results: 
1- They brought Clarissa Shields who almost lost in her debut against an under .500 professional record fighter and clearly lost in her second fight against Montes who is a journeywoman (gladly judges don't steal Montes in the scorecards), the spot only work for Clarissa flexing her Championship Belts, zero profit for PFL.

2 They practically made a division (Women's Lightweight) for a single fighter and although Kayla Harrison was projected as the new Ronda Rousey, she never achieved the same level of impact or generated a similar amount of money. 

3- They signed Jake Paul just for his hype and his beef with Dana White, and honestly I see Jake Paul's debut date in PFL as far away, the only way for him to look good is for them to make him fight against influencers or retired boxers in the smart cage otherwise Jake Paul will take a beating Of any MMA fighter with decent striking (not to mention what would make him a skilled wrestler) 

4- Ngannou was the most logical and meaningful signing compared to Jake Paul or Clarissa Shields. But in concept everything they promised seems difficult to complete without making losses (it will all depend on which opponents PFL can get Francis).

@Amettxpc 

Agreed this season was the worse since I've been watching (2020)+ didn't help they killed 90% of there roster signing with USADA

Yeah they def learned there lesson with Claressa Shields, as you've seen with the Ali Walsh kid.

More than 10 fighters (including 2 former PFL Champions: Wilkinson and Cappelozza) were suspended in the first drug testing of this season. 

If PFL wanted to enter the USADA Drug Testing Pool they should have at least notified the peelers 3-6 months in advance to avoid what ended up happening. Regarding Ali Walsh, it is rare to see Baggio's ameteur bouts more considering the PFL format. I wouldn't be surprised if next year his fights are branded as PFL superfight division when Baggio makes the switch to the professionals. 

I think the Ali Walsh brothers (in particular Nico) were signatures that caused a stir at the beginning, but so far they have fallen far short of expectations: especially Nico who is coming off a draw (which was changed to NC, after his opponent tested positive in a Drug Test) and an upset defeat in his last fight.

* Edited at 10.18.2023, 11:44 AM ET *