YouTuber turned Boxer Jake Paul acknowledges that he may need to build some sort of business relationship with UFC president Dana White if he wants to book the fights he desires.
In a recent appearance on former UFC star Chael Sonnen’s You’re Welcome podcast, Paul spoke about the possibility of working with White in the future in order to book crossover fights with the promotion’s fighters; including Conor McGregor, Tyron Woodley, and Kamaru Usman.
“A hundred percent, I’m down for all the smoke,” Paul said. “It just sucks to see these young kids, these young boxers, these young UFC champions get tied up into these contracts where they’re owned by the promoter. They’re owned by Dana White and they’re not getting fair pay, they’re not getting the fights they want. I believe Kamaru’s manager is already in talks with Dana and I think that’s all I can say.”
Paul and White have been at odds in recent weeks through the media, and White took aim at Triller Fight Club and Paul during his post-fight press conference at UFC 262. This all stems from White’s dismissal of Paul leading up to his first-round knockout of Ben Askren just weeks ago.
Since his win over Askren, Paul has remained in the headlines and has gone back-and-forth with some of the UFC’s biggest stars. Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier got into a heated altercation with Paul at UFC 261 and was also booed by the crowd from the moment he entered the arena.
If Paul wants to fight former and current UFC stars, he’ll more than likely need to build some sort of mutual respect with White. But, that might be easier said than done.
“Don’t ask me about these idiots, who gives a shit?” White said at his UFC 262 press conference. “Do your thing, leave me alone, and go do whatever it is you’re doing. I have no interest in talking to any of those idiots.”
It was already reported this past weekend that the UFC and White had shut down a potential boxing match between Georges St-Pierre and Oscar De La Hoya. It could be a tough hill to climb at the negotiating table for Paul and the drama might just be getting started between the two sides.
Do you think Jake Paul and Dana White should work together in the future? How do you think Paul would perform in a boxing match against Kamaru Usman, Conor McGregor, and Tyron Woodley?