Souad Soulimani is an independent journalist and producer who has been a member of L'Observatoire du Sport Business since 2016. Founder of MediaSpoliS specializing in media education and the production of content dedicated to women's leadership, she is also president of Radio Déclic, which gives the floor residents of working-class neighborhoods on major societal issues. The Sport Business Observatory is the Think Tank of the In&Sport firm whose vocation is to provide analyzes and decryptions on the evolution of sport, both in its economic and social dimension.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's initial bet to make its brand a world leader and uninhibited in sport business has been successful.
After getting rid of all potential competitors, we think of Pride for the oldest and puritans, today the UFC imposes itself despite a global health crisis that is hitting the sport and continues to generate profits and play sold out.
The secret: a solid match making, buzz and dollars at stake.
And precisely to start 2022, head to California, to the Honder Center in Anaheim.
For several months now, everyone has been going about their prognosis.
From its buzz and its expertise.
Who from Francis Ngannou the heavyweight champion of the UFC or Cyril Gane, interim champion of the organization would definitively establish himself as the only champion of the queen category in the most prestigious MMA organization in the world?
To find out, you shouldn't miss the event on the night of Saturday January 22 to Sunday January 23, live from Los Angeles.
The face to face was held there before our eyes with a consequent time difference but a motivation and a determination on the part of the two fighters which leave no doubt about the intensity of the confrontation to come.
To fully understand what was happening that night, we need to put some background information.
From passion to reason, from bad buzz to sport.
From provocation to reason.
Francis Ngannou, an extraordinary destiny.
Originally from Cameroon, the one who dreams of becoming a boxing champion leaves his native land to try to get by.
To survive.
With this strength and this rage to win that drive him, he survives obstacles that we suspect but on which he does not dwell.
The two men in close combat Gary A. Vasquez / REUTERS
"
I am very grateful for what I was able to learn in France and the country as I am very grateful for what I live here in the United States but I remain a Cameroonian, it is my history, my identity, what I am deep inside of me. Each new stage in life makes us grow and teaches us, but we must not forget who we are and where we come from. People who know me know that I am not a villain or an ingrate. I'm a calm, discreet person on social networks, I don't let myself be carried away by buzz or controversy, I'm respectful. So from there, the controversies for me are a thing of the past and I'm moving on. I carry out my projects and my goals and I try to remain myself. I had to leave my country 7 years ago to try toaccomplish elsewhere, but I don't blame my country. I did what I had to for a better life and I remain Cameroonian whatever people say and think. We always have to build our life, our parents did it and we do it. Sometimes, it is by leaving our land and our people that we realize the wealth we have and the love for our land and those who love us.
".
Impressive power and one of the most impressive fighters on the circuit.
He is the title holder but in the meantime, a French athlete with an equally inspiring career is making his place in the UFC and taking each step to the highest.
The one who will only start combat sports at the age of 24 defies all predictions and imposes himself with class on the American continent.
Since then, he has nurtured a dream and carries with him, with the humility, simplicity and smile that we know from him, all the hopes of the French public.
He will also explain after the fight:
I feel all the support and love behind me that's why I'm quite disappointed and sad about tonight's decision and I just want to thank them, thank again all those who all over the world support me and send me positive
vibes.
Two champions, one belt, one goal: write history and force destiny
For each athlete, the UFC is obviously a springboard to achieve sporting but also social achievement.
By reaching the heights, the two athletes can also count on significant scholarships, the fruit of a business factory that sells events and builds fighters as marketing products.
And that's good, if we look more closely, the hardness of the sport and the rigor it requires means that we can flourish and accomplish ourselves quickly and well in order to avoid the after-effects and pass to something else.
This is the reason why, moreover, many fighters try their luck.
But the path is long and strewn with pitfalls to win in an American tournament which is well locked and which leaves very little room for feeling.
For UFC 270, the winner pocketed more than $600,000 in bonuses while his opponent took $500,000.
In their previous fight, Ngannou was paid $500,000 to face Miocic and Gane a $350,000 bonus against Derick Lewis.
Amounts that can make your head spin if you compare them to the bonuses of the French world champions in English boxing or in other sports.
In comparison, a world champion for a second or third title defense will take 100,000 to 200,000 dollars if he is well supervised and managed, while on the women's side, the premiums will not exceed 30,000 to 40,000 euros for a title.
Spectacular image of the fight Gary A. Vasquez / REUTERS
There is money, and there are people.
Francis and Cyril know and appreciate each other since they trained together in the club founded by Fernand Lopez: the MMA Factory nestled in the heart of the 12th arrondissement of the capital.
But since the separation, tensions have arisen between the defending champion and the coach.
Consummated divorce which ignites the web.
Controversies that do not affect the athletes live since both will remain totally focused on their fight.
Do the job and compete in the best conditions.
It's Cyril Gane, the good kid who takes the fight on his own initiative in the first two rounds with a stand up which shows that he has his place in the world elite and that he did not come to appear but win.
Incredible athlete whose destiny and dazzling success must be saluted, the fruit of a determination and a professional maturity which until then had been lacking in MMA.
Cyril showed his desire and even boldly attempted the heel lock in the third round which could have put an end to the supremacy of the Cameroonian fighter without flinching and write a little more history of French MMA.
At a press conference, Cyril explains this unsuccessful attempt: “
With adrenaline and when there's so much at stake, you don't hit that easily. Many predicted that I would take a knockout in the first or second round but it didn't happen because I'm solid on my feet and very confident. But Francis is a warrior too and he didn't give up until the end, he resisted and he won. If I have the choice between a fight for the belt against anyone or a rematch against Francis, I would really like a rematch and do this fight a second time. Having a chance to face him again, I know I will come back stronger and progressing on my weaknesses. Nothing that was said around the fight impacted me and I was very focused on my goal, the stories on social media didn't bother me.have not touched. At the end of the fight, I knew I had lost. I am very lucid and very intelligent
".
This is what the good kid brings to French MMA, intelligence and a soothing and important message to young people but also to all the detractors of French MMA.
With these words and this message, Cyril shows that he is a top athlete and that mua is a sport in its own right.
On the fight, he continues his analysis without complex and with this lucidity which does not leave him: “
I was not impressed by his takedowns which were not hyper technical but clearly by his strength.
We knew it and he was right to play it, his strength was impressive.
I was surprised a few times and that's what made him win tonight.
He had a very good preparation with his team and did what was necessary to win against me.
Besides, I sincerely want to send my congratulations to his team
”.
Earning Respect and Staying Free: Ngannou the Indomitable
The one who will tell of having entered the octagon being injured but not wanting after all the trials in his life to give up this fight and this opportunity has nothing more to prove.
He confides immediately after the fight: "
We practice a tough and dangerous sport and injuries are part of the way but I really wanted to be there tonight, I have confidence in myself, in my team, I knew that we could do it. To do.
I was really confident in my abilities and walked into the octagon knowing that I could come out on top and retain the belt
.”
It's not just a question of money.
I myself am waiting to know what my future is in the UFC.
Francis Ngannou
While Francis Ngannou has upset the forecasts and perhaps even the boss of the UFC, Dana White, he explains that he doubts his future in the organization: “
worked tirelessly especially at Xtrem Couture where I was able to refine my wrestling and feel comfortable in this part of the game with the best sparring partners I could imagine.
I never dreamed of being in the UFC but I'm in it and I've worked hard to earn respect.
Initially, it is not a childhood dream.
So today, it's true that I don't feel wanted in the organization so I don't know what will be next, what I think doesn't matter so much, it's up to the UFC to make its proposal and to clarify its position
".
To be able to take back the microphone, the belt around his waist, Ngannou once again had to move mountains and face some unforeseen demons with a big injury that occurred 25 days before the fight which should also lead to an operation but which does not did not prevent him from entering the octagon against the advice of his doctor.
He will also explain himself in a press conference after the fight: "
I knew that I was not very comfortable standing and that I could not move as I wanted so I tried to win on the other combat phases and gain the advantage.
I knew that Cyril was to be taken seriously and that he would be ready
". On the fight itself while people were wondering a lot about the abilities to go to the decision and to last the 5 rounds, the champion declared that the first two rounds he had difficulty finding his rhythm and to move properly. “Faced with Cyril, who I know to be very agile, very skilful and very good at stand-up, I had to find the solution. And all of a sudden, I had like a flash, I remembered, there in the heart of the octagon being in difficulty of all this massive support that I received from my country. Cameroon. I thought about it and I immediately thought "
I can't let go, I can't let go. I will not abandon Cameroonians and my country, my coaches encouraged me from the area and motivated me. They believed in me and we got to the 3rd round and there is this takedown. I saw in Cyril's eyes that it marked him so I understood that I could and had to go all the way and not give up anything to bring this belt home. There, I understood that he was going to lose this fight. I said I would knock him out, it didn't happen but there is no disappointment because at the same time, I silenced those who thought that by going to the decision, I would lose. A victory is a victory
”.
That night, Francis Ngannou did his job and proved if there was any doubt that he is the undisputed number one. “
I was the champion, I am the champion. Regardless of what anyone thinks, the boss is me. On a possible revenge, we are not there yet because with the current situation, it is very difficult for sport in general and we must concentrate the UFC in certain states which still authorize the organization with an audience. Once things are clarified, I have nothing against a rematch.
I know that Cyril has talent, he will stay in the top level and the top of the category
so at some point, it will be inevitable to find himself again.
He will have pocketed the sum of 600,000 dollars against 500,000 dollars for his opponent Cyril Gane. The Cameroonian champion has declared that he will no longer fight in the UFC for this sum, believing that he is underpaid. And if we take a closer look at the bounties of other UFC champions, we can go in his direction. There is a disavowal of the organization towards it or just a look that does not correspond to its value.
It will not take more to react a Tyson Fury who had challenged Ngannou on social networks and who invites him via twitter to join him to "
make more money
". For comparison, Tyson Fury was brewing $30 million against Wilder. However, Francis is not inhabited by the desire to make money at all costs. Like Cyril Gane and many other champions, they want to be respected because they respect their sport but also the supporters.
They do their job and make the discipline shine all over the world. Whether it's the good kid, great ambassador of sport in the Ile de France Region who gives his time to young people and makes them believe in their dreams or Francis Ngannou who in Cameroon brings hope for a better life for thousands children, they are our best ambassadors. That this evening the flag of Cameroon or that of France that we glimpse in the octagon, it is ultimately, through two extraordinary destinies, that of a better humanity and a youth that we love and to whom we speak who is concerned and pampered.
Moreover, Francis, who posted a photo of him with his mother on his land a few weeks ago, confided with emotion: "
I called my mother immediately after the fight but I couldn't speak. They were all screaming with joy, celebrating this victory, crying, finally it was madness. And I had all the post-fight obligations with the medical checks but I called and I will call back
”.
And since MMA is not the only thing in Francis' life, he also took the opportunity to address a few words of support to the Cameroon football team who were watching the fight: "
They were a motivation and I hope that my victory can also be one for them even if they don't need that to win, the situation is under control with a new Federation President such as Samuel E'to who comes to galvanize the troops and give a optimistic vision, we can be proud
”.
Gentlemen, to end these few lines.
We must all measure the journey undertaken by each of you.
Guess the cracks, the doubts and the determination that you have tamed.
To tell you that the fight was up to expectations, to what was at stake.
And that you showed how noble MMA could be and advocate respect at all times.
That business and sport can go together.
Well together and far together.