Jake Paul Praises Dana White, Downplays Their Feud – ‘I Just Want Fighters To Get Paid’
Jake Paul praised Dana White, as he appears to have put his feud behind him.
The pair have not been on the best terms since Paul entered boxing. Paul grew his brand by fighting former UFC fighters, beating Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. That allowed UFC fighters to crossover over and earn more money than they had made in the UFC. Paul subsequently criticized White for not paying UFC fighters enough.
The UFC faced two lawsuits, alleging they had formed a monopoly to control how much fighters could make. But this was done after breaching anti-trust laws. TKO Group Holdings Inc. settled, but the courts have currently rejected the settlement, leaving a possible trial on the table. White has not been receptive to Paul, alleging that he had been taking steroids.
White Reacts
That did not help when Paul called out his current UFC fighter, Alex Pereira, for a boxing fight. Paul wanted the fight after stopping Mike Perry as he FaceTimed the Brazilian. White has ruled that fight out, meaning it must be made outside the UFC. The CEO of the UFC also stated that he has no issue with Paul, as he lost interest in his career once he suffered a defeat to a pro boxer in the form of Tommy Fury.
“I didn’t even know Jake Paul was fighting. I was on vacation in Italy, I had no idea. There’s all these stories that were written, it’s ridiculous. I stopped paying attention to Jake Paul when he lost to [Tommy] Fury. When he fought somebody that was his age and actually boxed, he lost. I’m not [hating] on the kid. I don’t even think about him anymore. It doesn’t even cross my mind. I have no beef with him. [He said,] ‘They’re trying to get me assassinated!’ Nobody’s trying to get you assassinated,” White said
Paul has also backtracked on some of his previous bad words by saying he simply wants UFC fighters to get paid more. In 2021, Paul reacted to UFC flyweight Sarah Alpar after she started a GoFundMe to help her pay for her training camp and expenses. The Problem Child responded by donating $5,000 to her campaign.
Paul Responds
Jake has also formed Most Valuable Promotions, which has helped the next generation of fighters get paid more. His biggest success has been Amanda Serrano, who has praised Paul for helping her become a millionaire. Since the UFC allegedly pays fighters $12,000 for their first few bouts, that has not gone down well with Paul.
“That’s where I applaud the UFC and what they’ve done for MMA as a sport. And their promotion, production, all of their [stuff] is amazing. Like, people think I hate the UFC. I don’t. I also have a lot of respect for – like, (White’s) RNC speech, bro, was amazing.
“Like we agree on so many things, and I think he has a great side of him. I’m sure we’d be friends maybe in this life, maybe in a different life. I just want fighters to get paid more, that’s it. $12,000 to fight? Even if they fought four times a year, that’s not enough to support their family,” Paul stated
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