Jake Paul Calls Out Dana White, Says UFC Fighters Should Be Paid a 'Fair Share'
April 25, 2021
Jake Paul has some words for Dana White now.
The YouTube personality and aspiring boxer took to social media Sunday and called out White for not paying UFC fighters the same numbers professional boxers make in their fight purses:
Paul isn't the most beloved figure around the UFC, even after knocking out former MMA fighter and wrestler Ben Askren earlier in April. During UFC 261 on Saturday evening, Paul and Daniel Cormier—who have traded barbs all week on social media—continued their conversation.
"I just saw Jake Paul and I pointed at him and said don't play with me," Cormier told Joe Rogan on the UFC broadcast (h/t Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com). "Cuz I'll smack him in the face. He's right there. I'll slap [him]. I don't play those games, Joe."
Paul also reacted to the confrontation with Cormier during UFC 261:
"Cormier comes up to me, starts chirping. I'm sitting here enjoying myself with [Antonio Brown]. ... This guy goes, 'Keep my name out your mouth. Keep my name out your mouth.' I said, 'Wait a minute, Daniel. You're putting my name in your mouth first. You put my name in your mouth first. You talked about me on your little commentator podcast with [ESPN's Ariel Helwani]. So don't come over here talking about how I talked about you.' I said, 'Let's sign the contract. Let's run a fight. I'm not scared of you, DC. You're short.' I'm looking at this guy like he's short."
Cormier isn't the only MMA fighter to have a low opinion of Paul as a boxer. Conor McGregor weighed in Saturday night as well:
White, for what it's worth, doesn't seem particularly bothered by Paul.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: This kid's done a good job of putting himself in a place to make some money, man," he told reporters after UFC 261. "So, good for him. He's got you guys talking about him all the time and asking questions about him. He's got Daniel Cormier running after him, so he's doing something right."
Perhaps Paul will be slightly popular with UFC fighters after he publicly stumped for them to be paid more. Or perhaps they'll join Cormier and McGregor in continuing to see Paul as an imposter in the fight game.