Youtuber turned Boxer Jake Paul is lashing out once again at UFC president Dana White over UFC fighter pay, an issue that has picked up in conversation over the past year.
Paul is scheduled to face former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, in a boxing match on August 28th, with the event being hosted by Showtime. During his brief promotional tour in Miami, Paul took aim at White and brought the issue back to life.
“There’s a movement moving forward that is going to show that fighters should be getting paid more. It’s unfair,” Paul said. “The UFC fighters don’t have fair pay. Out of all the sports, the percentage that the owners get versus the athlete, they’re the lowest. Chris Weidman goes in, snaps his leg in half, what’s that look like? He may never be able to fight again and provide for his family. These fighters are risking their lives. So fuck that shit. Fuck Dana White.”
The fighter pay issue in the UFC is still a substantial issue, with fighters like Jorge Masvidal, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor weighing in. Masvidal in particular brought the issue of fighter pay to the forefront during the prologue to his first fight with Kamaru Usman, which was a short-notice bout that Usman won by unanimous decision at UFC 251.
Jones has been at odds with the UFC stemming from his intentions to make the move up to heavyweight, after a long tenure as the UFC light heavyweight champion. Jones and White have been unable to come to terms on a potential bout after it was widely expected that he would face Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title later this summer, but those plans have fallen apart due to a lapse in negotiations.
While Paul has said in the past that he envisions a potential future partnership with White and the UFC, it appears that the tension between the two isn’t going away anytime soon.
What are your thoughts on Jake Paul’s comments and the fighter pay issue?