Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White is currently embroiled in a bitter feud with Jake Paul, the social media-mega star turned professional boxer who has been collecting checks in the hurt business over the last couple of years.
But what he hasn’t been collecting, though, are the hard-to-come-by pay-per-view (PPV) buys according to this report. That was one of the major sticking points White hit “The Problem Child” with during his comeback rant after Paul hit White with a “roids vs. cocaine” challenge.
According to White, the only reason Paul is now shifting his focus over to verified draws like Jorge Masvidal is that he needs the help to get the PPV points. “Gamebred,” for one, appreciates White’s kind words, even if it did take four years to gain his backing. That’s according to the “BMF” champion himself, who chimed in on the war of words between his employer and Paul.
“Thank you to my employer for recognizing my hard work,” Masvidal wrote on Twitter. “Only took you 4 years #superneccesary.”
Only Masvidal can explain why he took the dig at White in this instance, though it seems pretty self-explanatory that “Gamebred” hasn’t felt all that appreciated by White during his time with the promotion.
Naturally, only a few are privy to all of the behind-the-scenes dealings between promoter, fighter, and management, but from the outside looking in it seems White and Co. have worked well with Masvidal despite a contract dispute in mid-2020, which prompted Masvidal to ask for his release.
The two parties eventually went on to hash out a deal that saw Masvidal step in on super-late notice to face current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 after Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, White went on to praise “Gamebred” and labeled him a “massive star” despite the loss to “The Nigerian Nightmare.”
Still, it seems the “BMF” champion doesn’t feel all that appreciated by his “employer,” despite the fact that he was awarded a rematch with Usman in his first fight back nine months after the defeat.