Tony Ferguson explains health insurance comments at UFC 274 fight week: ‘There’s a lot of underlying things that people don’t see’
Tony Ferguson explained his simply call for health insurance policy at UFC 274’s pre-battle press convention was not his initial these kinds of request to his promoter.
The ex-interim light-weight winner reported he broached the issue simply because it fell by the wayside in a prior UFC assembly. It also led to an unpredicted demand from customers when a short-discover combat with Islam Makhachev at UFC 272 alternatively grew to become a battle with Chandler at UFC 274.
“During that struggle 7 days [at UFC 274], I had a whole lot to say, because through the final 12 months-and-a-half when I was off, I was down to acquire that Mackhachev fight, and the way that they had presented that was that I did not want the struggle, or nonetheless they wished to present it,” Ferguson stated Monday on The MMA Hour. “But it got introduced up in the conference as well, that we’ll appear into [health] insurance coverage, since I brought it up.
“I said, certainly, I want insurance policies. The numbers and almost everything produced perception to me, and they mentioned, ‘OK, we’ll get your premiums alongside one another, and we’ll see how considerably it charge,’ and so on and so forth for the subsequent pair many years. So I experienced previously explained that to them, and they experienced agreed that, ‘We’ll appear at it.’ I stated, ‘OK, that is amazing.’
“Well, I go a pair months afterwards, I was completely ready to battle Michael Chandler in, I believe it was January or February or something like that, and he was not prepared his leg nevertheless most likely wasn’t excellent. But when I acquired the deal for Chandler, there came a facet take note which mentioned that they had been going to prolong my contract, and I was like, ‘For what?’ And they do a great deal of these items, and so I questioned it. A shut mouth never get fed.”
The UFC didn’t straight away reply to ask for for remark on Ferguson’s assertion.
Throughout a fiery media working day look in assist of UFC 274, Ferguson manufactured his displeasure really evident when he unloaded on White and the UFC, evaluating the executive to a drug vendor for not letting fighters to go after larger paydays in boxing. Ferguson mentioned he really should have sued the advertising for stripping him of the interim lightweight belt when he was injured in a freak accident whilst on established with UFC broadcast associate FOX. He promised to “kick this Dana White boy’s ass” with a earn over Chandler at UFC 274.
Element of the thoughts Ferguson expressed at the media working day stemmed from the way 1 UFC executive handled him when confronted about the contract extension.
“When I questioned it, I questioned [UFC COO] Hunter [Campbell], and what he said was, ‘Oh s***, I don’t bear in mind signing that,’” Ferguson claimed. “And I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ I was like, ‘Yo, yo, yo, I’ve been ready to fight,’ and they wished to increase my contract if we fought for it, and they finished up taking it away, because they indication paperwork that they do not read, and that actually pissed me off.
“I was like, ‘You’re s****** me. You guys really do not even recall signing a document to have me stripped, when all I have been is for the enterprise and you had Conor [McGregor] staying inactive and he was likely to retire and you fellas stripped me for this?’ I was truly mad. I really don’t want to say far too significantly I check out to preserve almost everything definitely great. But when [UFC President] Dana [White] stated, ‘Any guy that wears sun shades inside of deserves to have that occur to him,’ and now you have [UFC whiskey sponsor] Howler Head sun shades — I’m looking at that logo and I’m like, ‘What the f***? Dana didn’t use sunglasses, and this is his firm?’
“So it was just a whole lot of terrible issues that I’ve always felt is fundamental, and I allow it go. I allow it out. I was pissed, and I should really be. I’ve generally carried out issues for the enterprise. I have usually showed up. I’m not indicating the only just one, but just some of the things I’ve claimed, persons have not taken me serious, since I’m just a messenger. At the beginning of the day, it’s not the to start with thing on my brain, but when I have to look immediately after my spouse and children and I have to glimpse after my very well-currently being — they’re not, one, having to pay insurance, that is a full other story, and two, they’re not having to pay my bills.
“I present up to struggle, and we’re [independent] contractors out there, which is mad. I’m not attempting to chat about unions and stuff I really do not comprehend them also substantially. But I know what I battle for, and I fight for myself. I wasn’t chatting for most people in there. I was conversing for my spouse and children and myself. I have two youngsters, my spouse wants to have a further 1.
“During that initial week, it was intensive. I talked to my spouse, and she was like, ‘What occurred, you utilized to smile a lot,’ and I started out pondering, ‘You know what? You’re right.’ So during the 7 days, when I reported that, I mentioned my piece, and the Dana White privilege detail, it was not funny, for the reason that I have been through it. I have long gone by means of it all. It is not [Michael Chandler’s] fault. But the firm sometimes is unusual, and there’s a great deal of fundamental items that individuals really don’t see. They just take for granted for what the UFC provides.”
Ferguson reported whilst the incident “kind of pissed me off,” he stressed that both equally powering the scenes and in public, he has experimented with to temper his calls for with the UFC’s enterprise passions. He mentioned he has no ill will toward UFC executives.
“They’re alright, they’ve bought to glimpse out for the bottom line,” Ferguson stated. “But I have to glimpse out for mine, and I hadn’t done that for a very long time.”