- Eddie Alvarez fumed over Dana White’s comment about Francis Ngannou’s UFC departure
- “The Underground King” pointed out that the UFC doesn’t want to pay its fighters the money they deserve
Just one month after UFC president Dana White said Francis Ngannou is likely to stay, the promotion officially released its current heavyweight champion. After the release, White seemingly slighted Ngannou and said “The Predator” opted to go for a bigger payday but “lesser opponents,” a comment that didn’t sit well with former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
It’s the other way around
Taking his thoughts to social media, “The Underground King” stated that contrary to White’s claim, Ngannou isn’t afraid of taking on the best fighters in the sport. Instead, it’s the UFC that is afraid to pay its fighters the money they deserve.
“UFC simply lost the bid for Francis,” Alvarez wrote. “Instead of admitting that, they go with the narrative the the Scariest motherf—er alive is afraid to fight in the UFC hahhahahahhahahahhahahahhaa. These jokes write themselves.”
Ufc simply lost the bid for Francis , instead of admitting that , they go with the narrative the the Scariest mother fucker alive is Afraid to fight in the UFC hahhahahahhahahahhahahahhaa These jokes write themselves #PHSUnreal
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) January 16, 2023
Alvarez went on and further bolster his rant in a comment on MMA Junkie’s post on Instagram about the matter:
“Nobody in the UFC is ‘afraid’ of anyone,” Alvarez replied to the post. “The men who fight there are there to fight the best… The UFC is afraid to pay fighters, this is the only reason people leave. Fighters don’t give a F— who the next opponent is, they do care about what the pay will be. Keep it real and just say we lost the bid, someone is paying more and end it there.”
He continued, “It’s counter-intuitive to pay fighters large purses because they become less cooperative and more independent,” he wrote. “The business works perfect when everyone is broke and begging to fight at the drop of a hat. Cooperation is key. Large purses disrupt their own business.”
Both made a good a point
Judging by how things panned out, it seems like both Alvarez and White made a good point on Ngannou’s case.
It can be recalled that “The Predator” has long been having conflicts with the UFC regarding salary and sponsorships which backs White’s assumption that the now-former heavyweight champion wants a more lucrative deal.
On the other hand, Alvarez was also on point as the UFC has faced scrutiny over unfair fighter pay and treatment in recent times.
Alvarez copped the UFC lightweight title after stopping Rafael Dos Anjos at the UFC Fight Night 90. He quickly lost his belt to Conor McGregor at UFC 205. Alvarez last fought in the UFC in 2018 and lost to Dustin Poirier via TKO.
Ngannou is still a free agent at the moment but Bare Knuckle FC has already reached out. PFL is also being mentioned as a top suitor of “The Predator.” He last fought in the UFC at UFC 170 where he defended his title against Ciryl Gane.
