MVP MMA: Rousey vs Carano - May 16 🇺🇸

[Dai]

Main event was embarrassing, as was the immediate post match reaction from Carano. Almost looked like her plan was just to get taken down and tap from the arm bar immediately, and then cash the cheque completely unscathed. To be honest, I don't blame her one bit at her age. Take the money and run.

 

The rest of the main card was lots of fun. Diaz getting that gassed, that early was a shocker, and he got smashed. Nasty cut too.

The rest was as expected. No idea how anyone could watch this live though, as there just seemed so much filler, it would be unwatchable. 

Presentation wise, it was slightly different, but nothing to write home about. Mauro is still rubbish too.

Can see it being maybe one or two shows per year with whatever novelty acts are still around.

[300]

I thought it was a really fun show from the bits I managed to see, bit of a throwback to old UFC cards.

What’s the situation with Jon Jones contract? When would he be free to fight Francis? 

[Dai]

45 minutes ago, 300 said:

I thought it was a really fun show from the bits I managed to see, bit of a throwback to old UFC cards.

What’s the situation with Jon Jones contract? When would he be free to fight Francis? 

Don't think anyone knows how many fights he has left on his contract, and Jones himself has never said, I don't think. Basically, he will never be free to fight Francis, as he will probably never fight in the UFC again.

Even if he was, there's still massive question marks over whether he would take the fight, considering the lengths he's gone to with his opponent selection the last 5 years.

[wandshogun09]

46 minutes ago, 300 said:

What’s the situation with Jon Jones contract? When would he be free to fight Francis? 

In short, never.

He signed a new contract with the UFC in early 2023 and it was an 8 fight deal. He’s fought twice since so he’s contractually tied into that deal for another 6 fights. And with how long Jones takes off between fights, the fact he’s about to turn 39 in July, the fact he’s been pissing about retiring and unretiring to the point I’ve lost count, and the fact he’s mentioned he has arthritis in his hips, he’s not gonna be blasting through those 6 fights now. So unless he can get out of the UFC contract, which are notoriously difficult to escape, he’s not fighting anywhere else. I’ve seen talk of Jake Paul/MVP buying out the remainder of his contract but I can’t see that happening. Wouldn’t be worth it for MVP. They’d have to pay the UFC whatever 6 big Jon Jones fights are worth before they even think about the stupid money he’d want for the fight itself. Bear in mind, he left $30 million on the table when he ducked Tom Aspinall last year and reportedly rejected a $15 million offer to fight on the upcoming White House card. He’s not gonna come cheap for MVP as it is, doubt they’re gonna be willing to fork out that kind of purse on top of having to buy out his UFC contract. Plus, the UFC aren’t gonna let him go anyway.

Basically, yeah, sadly it’s never gonna happen. With Jones and Ngannou both pushing 40, a deal would have to come together quickly and it’s just not gonna work. The UFC will drag it out and stall until they both give up. I’d be amazed if it somehow gets figured out. Only way that fight happens is in the UFC and it won’t for one big, fat, bald, wife slapping, Ngannou hating reason.

[300]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Somehow I’m still surprised that UFC contracts can be that controlling. Do you know if that means Jones is being paid anything by the UFC right now? 

[Dai]

As much as they are aresholes with taking care of their fighters, I tend to side on the UFC's stance here. "I’m still surprised that UFC contracts can be that controlling" seems odd to me. Jones willingly signed an 8 fight deal with the UFC just a couple of years back. Now that theres something new and shiny where he can make even more money, its the UFC's fault for not just saying "Have a blast, dont fight here and go and make the mega money in another promotion"? Seems odd to me. Its not like Jones signed this deal 10 years ago either. He signed it just a few years back, at the peak of the freakshow boxing and MMA fights, and also after numerous years moaning about pay. He committed to those 8 fights, which was essentially the remaining years of his MMA career. Have to live with that decision, Im afraid.

As for being paid by the UFC, I dont think it works like that. If you are under contract then they have to offer you a minimum amount of fights per year, I do believe (all of which Jones is turning down, despite the big money being offered).

[wandshogun09]

It’s mind boggling to me that fighters keep signing these huge long term UFC deals. Alex Pereira just signed an 8 fight deal himself. Obviously he’s way more active than Jones so it’s not gonna take him the rest of his life to complete that, if he does fulfill all 8 fights, but I still don’t get why these guys lock themselves into an exclusive contract for such a long period like that. An 8 fight contract at nearly 39 years old is nuts to me. When he signed that deal and people were rightly saying it might be something he ends up regretting, you had the usual UFC bootlickers shouting them down and saying he made the right move. But look at Jones now. You just don’t know what the future might hold or what opportunities might open up elsewhere down the road. But if you’re locked into an 8 fight deal with the UFC, you close the door on that for years on end. 

It’s probably the main reason Dana hates Francis Ngannou. He got free of the red tape and bullshit and immediately eclipsed his entire UFC career pay with one fight in Boxing. Obviously not every fighter is gonna be in a position to do that but Ngannou is walking, living proof that you can potentially make much more money and have freedom to fight wherever you want if you can get out of the UFC’s control and gamble on yourself. Dana can make up all the stories he wants about Francis being a “bad guy” but I think the real reason he can’t stand him is because he’s an example to other big name fighters that there’s life beyond the UFC’s monopoly if you make the right moves. 

Edited May 18 by wandshogun09

[NeverYield]

100% make you right there. It's not a very savvy move to be honest, it's a safe move, and one of comfort, nice locked in contract somewhere you know very well and if that's your bag then fairplay

But there's been loads of times fighters have managed to truly eke out great opportunities for themselves, and serious paydays along the way, like Ngannou and never look back. Why not try? 

Ngannou sticking it to Dana and the UFC was a belter. You're mental to fight for the UFC imo if there's opportunity elsewhere for you that's lucrartive, I know that's not the case for the majority of the roster though.

[Egg Shen]

Chalk one up for Jake Paul

[Egg Shen]

I felt the show was abit of a slam dunk, I skipped through the inbetween fights and that but the overall production was top tier, it had a different feel and I liked that.

No surprises in-cage but it was all fast paced and even the big underdogs came to throw down, felt like an exciting showcase. It even laid some seeds for potential fights and shows going forward which was great. If one of the aims these days is it to get viral moments you can share, this show succeeded.

Only downside was the anti-climatic main event. It was pure in-her-prime style Ronda though and that's what made her a superstar so the majority probably loved it. I just wanted a bit more. I really could have done without the love-in post-fight too.

[JNLister]

It's very unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate) that "the most likely outcome of a legitimate contest" in the main event was absolutely identical to "the exact sequence you would do if you fixed the fight".

[jimufctna24]

2026 Gina Carono = 2000/2010s Ken Shamrock. 

That inept at MMA that people think their bouts are fixed. 

[Carbomb]

Thing is, I get the impression that, had Carano stuck around a bit longer to fight Rousey back when they were in their primes, their fight would have roughly gone the same way anyway.

[Dai]

1 hour ago, jimufctna24 said:

2026 Gina Carono = 2000/2010s Ken Shamrock. 

That inept at MMA that people think their bouts are fixed. 

Inept at MMA, or just fighters in their 40s performing how you would expect fighters in their 40s to perform?

 

The long term deals may just be a case of UFC using/abusing their monopoly on MMA? Don't like an 8 fight contract? Then piss off, we don't need you. Go and try your luck elsewhere. Even someone like Peireira I could see them believing that is good business.

 

From a fighters point of view, i guess a guaranteed 4 year contract (based on 2 fights a year) for a guaranteed chunk of change isn't the worst thing in the world. For the Champions, that also means mega money paydays in fights 7 and 8 of that deal, which in theory could be half a decade away, when they are well past their prime and are lower down the card.

Edited May 19 by Dai

[jimufctna24]

1 hour ago, Dai said:

Inept at MMA, or just fighters in their 40s performing how you would expect fighters in their 40s to perform?

Probably both. 

Ken's training was antiquated by the mid to late 2000s, but he was also into his 40s and even his 50s in his final fights, which made his performances even worse. 

2 hours ago, Carbomb said:

Thing is, I get the impression that, had Carano stuck around a bit longer to fight Rousey back when they were in their primes, their fight would have roughly gone the same way anyway.

From memory, it was a fight most fans in the 2010s entertained due to it being a spectacle. Few gave Carano much of a chance of actually winning. 

Edited May 19 by jimufctna24