Francis Ngannou is the world-record holding hardest puncher on the planet. His current target isn’t an opponent’s face, however. It’s the standard of judging and the low fighter pay at the UFC’s latest event, and Ngannou is not holding back.
Taking to Twitter to voice his frustration, Ngannou put into words what many fans were feeling after seeing several confusing decision victories over the course of the UFC Vegas 32 main card.
Enraged Ngannou demands justice for fighters “robbed of half their money”
“It’s interesting how we see injustice done to the fighters by some judges, we talk about it, and then move on from it the next day, only to get pissed off again when it happens the next time.”
“The fighter has to go home unrewarded with all that frustration — and half of their money — for a job well done. Something needs to be done for these athletes getting robbed on the scorecards.”
This is only the latest example of Francis Ngannou’s frustration with the UFC. Safe to say the promotion hasn’t been his favorite entity on the planet lately, with the interim title fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane a particular sore point for the recently crowned heavyweight champ. Lewis v Gane will take place at UFC 265, only a few short months after Francis Ngannou won the heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic.
Part of Ngannou’s issue with the judging, of course, is the issue of fighter pay. He was particularly incensed when Logan Paul took home $20 million to fight Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition match, again Tweeting “what are we doing wrong?”
Victorious fighters in the UFC double their guaranteed pay upon victory, with bonuses awarded for fight of the night and performance of the night. A fighter delivering a winning performance, only to see their opponent handed the decision by the judges’ scorecards, is “robbed” of more than just a victory on their record.
They go home with less money in their pockets. Ngannou is just one of many on the UFC roster taking issue with the UFC’s pay scale, and it’s not likely this sore spot is going away anytime soon.
Do you agree with Francis Ngannou? Does the UFC need to improve the quality of its scoring, and pay fighters more? Let us know in the comments.
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