Jake Paul is unimpressed with the pay-per-view (PPV) spike coming in 2023 for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
It was revealed yesterday (Weds., Dec. 21, 2022) that UFC PPVs on ESPN+ will increase from the current price of $74.99 to $79.99 starting in 2023 with UFC 283 on Jan. 21. Earlier this week, Bellator Welterweight turned boxer, Dillon Danis, claimed that he’ll make more money than any UFC champion in his professional debut against Olajide “KSI” Olatunji on Jan. 14, 2023.
Since getting into the combat sports scene, the aforementioned Paul has voiced his thoughts on the need for better fighter pay in mixed martial arts (MMA). After catching wind of this news, “The Problem Child” did some simple math.
“Meanwhile a bum whose claim to fame is being Conor [McGregor’s] friend is making a bigger purse to box a YouTuber than all current UFC champions,” Paul tweeted. “UFC makes almost $500 million a year. If they were to increase minimum fighter pay to $50K per fight, at most it will cost them $20 million.”
Danis rose to initial MMA fame through McGregor, aiding the Irish superstar in the grappling department with his background as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. Like McGregor, Danis hasn’t been shy to voice his opinion on those within the community.
Paul (6-0) is always looking for his next opponents and has had an interest in McGregor since he got into boxing in mid-2018. McGregor responded to a fan on Twitter who mentioned a boxing return for “The Notorious,” prompting the mention of fighting for a belt. Therefore, leading to Paul biting on the comment.
“You fight for belts?” Paul quote tweeted to McGregor. “Last time you fought for a belt was 4 years ago. Lost 3 of your last 4 fights. I would knock you out in the squared circle with one hand tied behind my back. To be fair, in the cage I would need two hands. But same result.”