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Jake Paul thinks the UFC’s best days are behind it. He’s pointing the finger directly at Dana White.
The influencer-turned-boxer sat down with Theo Von on the This Past Weekend podcast and didn’t hold back. They talked about his upcoming MVP MMA show on May 16 – and whether it’s really going head-to-head with the UFC.
Paul’s answer? Absolutely. And he thinks MVP MMA is going to come out on top.
Paul’s Take on White’s Leadership
He even floated the idea of TKO Group (the UFC’s parent company) buying out MVP MMA. But there’s a catch – Paul wants a seat at the table to help fix what he sees as major problems.
I’m open to it. Buy us. We’ll help you guys not be idiots. The amount of money you would spend—Like, I don’t have an ego. I’ll work with anybody.
Von pushed back a bit, calling White a “very smart guy.” Paul wasn’t having it.
Not smart enough. Just look at what he’s doing. You don’t not pay your fighters, you don’t get Jon Jones on the White House card. First of all, Justin Gaethje is going to lose to Ilia [Topuria] on the White House card. So you have a Spaniard beating a white American on the patriotic White House card. Big mistake, first of all.
He kept going.
Second of all, why are you not going to pay Jon Jones? … This is one of the most profitable sports organizations in history. Their investors have gotten greedy, they’re in control, they are looking at the P&Ls [profits and losses] and being like, ‘Yo, we can just keep pumping this sh–.’ They forgot their heart as a company, and that’s the problem. It’s dying.
Calling the UFC “dying” might be pushing it. The promotion is still is still the biggest name in mixed martial arts by a wide margin; Paul’s right that they’re having trouble putting together the fights fans actually want to see.
White’s role in all this is debatable. But he’s not exactly making things easier.
