Misha Cirkunov’s on-off UFC contract negotiations were finally settled earlier this month when news was announced that he had signed a new deal with the promotion.
Many had lamented when reports emerged that Dana White had spelt the end of the road for Cirkunov in the UFC. The 30-year-old is seen as a potential light heavyweight title challenger in the future, and fighters of his caliber are needed in what many consider to be one of the weakest divisions in terms of competition in the franchise. Needless to say, Cirkunov got his contract, but it was not easy. The light heavyweight discussed comments made by Dana White suggesting that he “flaked” out of contract negotiations, on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour:
“Honestly, I don’t really understand what ‘flake’ means, because I never really flake on anything,” Cirkunov said Monday on The MMA Hour. “If I say I’m going to show up, I always show up. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do something. We were negotiating the contract, and I guess maybe I didn’t get back as fast as I should’ve, or I don’t know; I don’t know exactly why I kinda pissed off Dana, but I obviously don’t want to be on his bad side, because we all knew things can turn kinda south — or north, however you want to look at it — really quick, so I’m just happy that we had a really nice chat with [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard.
Cirkunov also was appreciative of Maynard’s easy demeanour, when it came to negotiating terms:
“We chatted for 15 or 20 minutes and then we came to an agreement. I’m just happy that it was easy to talk to him, because with Dana, it’s a little bit nerve-wracking talking with him, because you say something he doesn’t like and all of a sudden, I thought we were buddies and next thing, maybe we’re not buddies. I don’t know. I’m just happy that there’s a matchmaker, Mick Maynard, and I can just deal with him, and Dana, I can show him great fights.”
Cirkunov also stated how happy he is with the new deal:
“It’s a nice deal,” Cirkunov said. “It’s a six-fight deal, a bunch of fights, and I’m happy. I’m happy to be part of the show. I’ve been getting a couple of other deals (offered), but I was not able to look into joining any other shows or anything. Like I said, I wanted some time, some air to clear out, and then just to talk with the UFC. I already put in four good performances and I just want to keep that going and just be part of the most respected show.”
