“The UFC Is Falling”: Ahead of the Andre August Fight, Jake Paul Slams Dana White While Lauding PFL- Bellator Deal as the Best Opportunity for Fighters

In a few hours, Jake Paul will once again put his boxing skills to the test against a legitimate pugilist. He is doing so for the second time in his career. Barring the debut fight against AnEsonGib and Nate Richardson, most of Paul’s opponents until last year were retired UFC fighters. He altered the narrative beginning this year, going against Tommy Fury.

But five months later, he was back to fighting another former UFC legend, Nate Diaz. Hence, returning to the ring for the third time this year, he seems determined while squaring up against a professional boxer. Nevertheless, he has been smart enough not to put all the eggs in the same basket. Jake Paul signed up with the Professional Fighters League to signal his foray into the world of the octagon. In a significant move, the promotion took over Bellator MMA last month. However, not all appear impressed. Among them is, reportedly, Dana White. But ‘The Problem Child’ appears unfazed by such criticisms, citing the merits of the acquisition.

Jake Paul comes to PFL’s defense over Dana White’s critique

FightHype caught up with Jake Paul after Thursday’s weigh-in. Taking up the comments from the UFC President, the reporter asked the Ohioan, “Dana White said that they’re not worried about it; he’s basically saying one crappy promotion that sells no tickets is buying another promotion with crappy sales and no ratings. How do you respond to that? What have you made of this new deal and how [does] it affect you?”

‘The Problem Child’ said that it was quite an expected reaction from Dana White. His primary agenda remains to keep his venture afloat. He said, “But the UFC is falling, you know, like what big fights are they putting on their biggest star, and the heavyweight champion of their organization came to the PFL for better opportunity and the fighters are going where the better opportunities are.”

According to Jake Paul, the years 2023–2024 belong to the PFL. It is the most appropriate place for fighters. With the kind of money that is being infused into the promotion, it is no surprise that Dana White is having butterflies in his stomach.

Last week, through its X/Twitter handle, MMA Junkie shared Dana White’s response to the PFL-Bellator deal. Wishing them all the luck in the world, he said, “One sh**ty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches buys another sh**ty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watched. Sounds like a f***ing winner to me, boy. Right?”

As far as ‘The Problem Child’ is concerned, while talks of an MMA rematch with Diaz show up once in a while, he has yet to fight a mixed martial arts bout.

Jake Paul: A praiseworthy pursuit of a boxing legacy

The cruiserweight bout with August will last eight rounds. When everything is said and done, Jake Paul’s persistence in establishing his name as a serious boxing contender remains laudable. Having received much flak for taking on mixed martial artists way past their prime, it was only a step in the right direction that he took by going against a bona fide boxer like Tommy Fury.

Read More: Jake Paul vs. Andre August: Date, Time, Venue, Livestream

Though the outcome may not have been to his liking, a split decision, coupled with a knockdown of the Fury family scion, wasn’t too far from a statement of victory. While he goes a clear favorite against August, a few more bouts like these and Jake Paul may find his name among accredited and ranked boxers.

Do you think Jake Paul would be as successful in MMA as he is currently in boxing? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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