Jake Paul Has 'Zero Chance' of Fighting Conor McGregor, Dana White Says

UFC president Dana White said there's a "zero percent" chance former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor faces off with YouTube star Jake Paul.

"[McGregor] is one of the greatest fighters on Earth right now," White told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday. "He shouldn't be fighting kids that have f--king YouTube videos."

White acknowledged there's a market for high-profile exhibitions. Former boxing world champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. clashed last month, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. has agreed to take on Logan Paul, Jake's older brother, in February 2021.

He doesn't think it's the right time for McGregor to go down that route, though.

"There's a market for these kinda fights. It's just not what I do," White told TMZ. "There will be a day when Conor McGregor could do these types of fights and make a bunch of money."

McGregor previously left the Octagon to challenge Mayweather in a boxing match in August 2017. While he was completely outclassed en route to a 10th-round knockout loss, it was a professional bout between two of fighting's biggest stars, not an exhibition.

Paul has been calling him out since he crushed former NBA guard Nate Robinson on the Tyson-Jones undercard. He was impressive in the second-round KO in his second pro fight after previously defeating fellow YouTuber Ali "AnEsonGib" Al-Fakhri in his January debut.

The 23-year-old Cleveland native has made noticeable progress since an exhibition triumph over Deji Olatunji in August 2018, but it's unclear whether he's planning to go all-in with his boxing career or stick with these more attention-grabbing bouts with athletes and celebrities.

Meanwhile, McGregor is scheduled for a rematch with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in January. The 32-year-old Irishman won their first meeting by first-round knockout in September 2014.