What happens when two well-known Jake Paul critics get together? You’d expect sparks, with the two going on a harangue about the self-proclaimed boxing disruptor. But would it be surprising if one of them actually gave Paul some credit? That’s what happened when Dana White appeared for an interview with Piers Morgan. The White-Paul rivalry dates back years, with the two trading words, insults, and accusations in widely publicized exchanges. Morgan isn’t a particular admirer of Paul either. So White’s latest views—especially on Paul’s knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, once dismissed as a “bad idea”—might catch a few off guard.

“Jake Paul is doing his thing. He’s, you know, a guy who has obviously made a lot of money, and, you know, people have been interested, and he plays the heel perfectly,” White said on the latest episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. “Even if you don’t, even if you hate what he’s doing and you hate all the stuff about him, you hate him so bad that you’re tuning in to see him get knocked out. So he’s played the thing the right way.”

“And I’ll tell you this, he got hit. If you look at what AJ did to Francis Ngannou, right? And it was a terrible fight. And you know, he(Jake Paul) kept trying to tackle him. He did everything he could to avoid a fight. But once he got hit with that shot and he went down, broke his jaw, AJ didn’t knock him out. He definitely didn’t knock him out the way he knocked Francis out. So if I give Jake Paul any credit, I’ll give him that he’s, you know, built himself a business and he’s made a lot of money.”

Dana White‘s thoughts echo a narrative that has surfaced since Paul and Joshua met at Miami’s Kaseya Center this past December. Running around the ring and using tactics such as clinching, Paul managed to keep the former heavyweight champion from landing clean shots. However, he started gassing out late. The fight ended with Anthony Joshua knocking him down with a flurry of combinations.

By contrast, the March 2024 fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou ended in the second round. The difference in endings sparked discussions. A few credited Jake Paul, despite his lack of experience and skills, for surviving much longer than Ngannou.

Dana White’s comments will likely invite debate. More notable, however, is the shift in his views.

Dana White and Jake Paul: Years of jabs outside the ring

Roughly a month after the Paul-AJ fight, he told Complex News that it was totally “crazy” to have allowed the bout in the first place.

“It’s crazy that that fight was even allowed to happen,” White said. “As long as people keep wanting to pay and watch him fight, I guess he can keep doing it. It’s just not what I do. To even comment on it, I think everybody that was involved in that thing should be embarrassed. It’s not what I’m into. Not my thing.”

The tension between the Cleveland native and the UFC boss goes back years. It traces back to when Paul raised the now-familiar concern about fighter pay. In response, White took potshots at Jake after he suffered his first professional loss – to a real boxer, Tommy Fury – and later returned to his usual pattern of facing former UFC fighters, including Nate Diaz.

By contrast, with Logan Paul’s Prime taking over as the UFC’s official drink partner, White enjoys a rather cordial relationship with Jake’s elder brother.

Like this recent exchange, there have been instances where the two showed more understanding for each other. However, with Paul’s MVP now foraying into the MMA scene with the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano Netflix event, it will be interesting to see how the duo’s rivalry evolves.