Jake Paul and Dana White aren’t done taking shots at each other.
Jake Paul recently asked Dana White to allow Jorge Masvidal to fight him in boxing. The YouTuber-turned-boxer proposed that if he wins, he gets more access to UFC fighters, and if he loses, he will leave White and his “exploitative business” alone forever.
Unsurprisingly, White immediately shut down the idea. He says that after facing welterweights like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, Paul should fight someone his own size.
“Masvidal’s 170 pounds,” White told The Daily Telegraph (HT: MMA Fighting). “He likes 170-pounders. Go fight somebody your own size. Anderson Silva’s not under contract, he’s 46 years old – that’s the age group you love to fight – and he’s your size and he’s actually winning fights.
“If you look at Jake Paul’s history, Jake Paul either fights basketball players who have never fought or he wants to fight washed up older guys who haven’t won fights in years. Anderson Silva has actually been boxing, he’s won some fights, he’s 46 years old, and he’s in your weight class. There you go. That’s a no-brainer. Fight Anderson Silva,” he said. “Fans would actually probably like to see that fight. It’s actually a viable fight that would actually sell some pay-per-views.”
Paul has since responded, saying that he’d be willing to face a bigger fighter instead in Derek Brunson.
Dana admitted this morning that I would destroy “170” pound Masvidal.. So Dana will you give Brunson permission to make some real money? Dana? pic.twitter.com/HtxyWYC99m
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 17, 2021
This man @jakepaul is literally trying to put Triller out of business ! pic.twitter.com/S0hbj83p56
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 17, 2021
I’m sorry that you have accepted that you are owned by Dana White and have to be loaned out, like a car. You and your fellow fighters deserve better. https://t.co/vNLTzhnwYR
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 18, 2021
While Brunson is obviously interested in a big payday, this is yet another match up that isn’t likely to ever happen due to his UFC contract.
Interestingly enough, Paul really hasn’t called out a free-agent and fellow pro-boxer in Anderson Silva, as much as he’s been repeatedly calling for unrealistic match ups against all these other MMA fighters under contract. Closest he got was answering a question about the former UFC champion, and Paul basically just saying he’s not Tito Ortiz.