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Jake Paul Says UFC's Dana White is 'The Obstacle' to Potential Conor McGregor Fight
December 16, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is preparing for Saturday's rematch against Tyron Woodley, but he also has his eyes on future opponents.
During an interview with Graham Bensinger, Paul was asked about the possibility of fighting UFC star Conor McGregor. Paul said he's open to it but noted that there's a major obstacle standing in the way in the form of UFC president Dana White.
"I think Dana White is the obstacle, No. 1," Paul said. "If Dana would let Conor out of his contract to set up the boxing match, I think that's what is needed to make it happen, and I think it will. I think that will happen."
McGregor is coming off back-to-back losses to UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier. He suffered a broken ankle in their last meeting in July and is unlikely to fight again until the middle of next year.
Paul said that his camp has a good relationship with McGregor's manager, and both sides are interested in setting up a fight between them.
"His manager is good friends with my manager, is good friends with another one of my advisors, and they talk constantly about making it happen," Paul said. "We're down, we're about it."
White has been critical of Paul in the past, questioning his boxing credentials because of the fact that he chooses his opponents and all of them have been older fighters past their prime. Paul said White is playing right into his hands.
"I think it's personal for him because he's this old guy who's clearly like a control freak, and I'm the only one who's able to get under his skin," he said.
Paul added that his feud with White is a pure strategy for him to attract fans and increase the audience for his fights.
"I'm just a young kid having fun," he said. "Dana has the audience that I want, so he doesn't realize that he's just playing into my game because I have the YouTube audience, the digital audience, the TikTok, all of that.
"What I want is the fight fans, who will pay $60, $70, $80 to see me fight, and all he's doing is making me 10 times more relevant in that space by playing my game."
Paul defeated Woodley by split decision in their first meeting in August to improve to 4-0 as a boxer.