Dana White and Jake Paul will not likely work together any time soon. In between barbs related to allegations of steroid use and cocaine abuse, Paul attempted to offer the UFC head a deal to secure a fight with Jorge Masvidal. This did not go over well with White, who responded in a video message with his own deal.
Paul is attempting to secure a UFC fight after knocking out former star Tyron Woodley, with White holding fast to his ban on allowing contracted fighters to take part in other combat sports. Paul offered to retire for good from boxing in exchange for a fight with Masvidal. But that isn’t all Paul demanded of the UFC head.
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Paul’s demands include increasing “min fighter pay per fight to $50K (it’s $12K now),” he wants a “guarantee” for UFC fighters on at least “50% of UFC annual revenues,” which Paul noted was $1 billion in 2021. Finally, Paul wants White to “provide long term healthcare to all fighters (you previously said brain damage is part of the gig…imagine the NFL said that). There are many UFC alums who have publicly said they are suffering from brain damage,” Paul wrote.
“You have 5 days to accept and to implement the above by March 31, 2022. Once implemented, I will retire from boxing, enter USADA and agree to a 1 fight deal with UFC to fight weak chin Jorge,” Paul continued. “To all UFC fighters – time to take a stand and create value for yourselves and peers. You deserve higher pay, you deserve long term healthcare and above all you deserve freedom. Support each other. I am not your enemy, I am your advocate…who selfishly wants to KO a few of you to make some big bank.”
White did not accept the offer in his response, instead countering with some advice and demand of his own in a fiery video. “You publicly stated that I use cocaine. I do not. So I told you [that] you could randomly cocaine test me for the next 10 years. I believe that you’re a cheater and I believe that you use steroids, so I want to randomly steroid test you for the next two years,” White said in the video. “And that thing that you came out with today, nobody on Earth thinks that you really wrote that. You’re too stupid…But if you two think you can do it better than we do, [that] we’re doing the whole thing wrong and you’re treating fighters better than we do, knock yourself out. Go start your own business, it’s easy to do.”
The UFC head also told Paul he should focus on his own business, alongside his manager and White’s alleged former accountant. “You’re tanking. You can’t sell pay-per-views. You’re calling out Jorge Masvidal because he’s a pay-per-view superstar. Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Mike Tyson, these guys are all superstars. You’re not. You can’t sell pay-per-views,” White closed the video.
It would seem there is little room for Paul in the UFC world as long as White is in charge. Steroid use is an allegation that hasn’t really appeared as much against Paul compared to the dubious outcomes of the fights he and brother Logan Paul have taken part in recent years. Paul knocked out former UFC star Tyron Woodley in his last fight, calling it an embarrassment for White and the organization.
