Jake Paul has never been one to shy away from controversy. Whether it’s his boxing career, online persona, or public feuds, the YouTuber-turned-boxer always stays in the headlines. There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding potential opponents for the Problem Child in 2025. However, the latest headlines aren’t about his next opponent but a fierce exchange with UFC president Dana White. For those who may not remember, after their massively successful Netflix event, while at a press conference, when asked about the fight, Dana White said, “Jake Paul couldn’t do sh*t to him,” lambasting the younger Paul brother for his inability to defeat 58-year-old Tyson decisively.

In a recent interview, Jake Paul, alongside his promoter Nakisa Bidarian, spoke about his journey in boxing, his successes, and failures, and also the criticisms leveled against him, especially by people like Dana White. Much of the recent criticism surrounding Jake Paul has been about his November fight against 58-year-old Mike Tyson with several people claiming it was rigged, a rumor that Jake Paul and MVP have vehemently denied. During the conversation, the Problem Child decided to address the accusations.

Was Paul vs. Tyson fixed?

During the All The Smoke Fight interview, the host Barak prefaced his question by saying, “I didn’t know if that it was Dana that started the thing about your fights being fixed,” talking about Paul’s KO victory over Tyron Woodley before coming to the main part of the question. “Literally, everybody I speak to. To this day, they’re like ‘Oh, that fight (Mike Tyson fight) was rigged’,” Barak remarked. “Does that ever discourage you like, no matter who you actually fight, that’s gonna be the narrative that you’re paying them to lose?’” he asked.

To answer that, Jake Paul responded calmly but decisively. He revealed that he acknowledged the skepticism but instead of letting those comments haunt him, he turned them into compliments. “At the end of the day I look at it as a compliment because people can’t even comprehend the things that I’m doing,” Paul explained. “They have to chalk it up to something illegal, to drugs, to whatever it is. So I could look at the negative of it all. But it’s all said and done.” 

During the same interview, Paul was asked to address Dana White’s comments as well as his accusations against boxing as a whole. Despite his composed attitude, El Gallo didn’t let Dana White’s words slide.

Dana White’s future in boxing, according to Jake Paul

The co-host wanted Jake Paul and the MVP co-founder to address Dana White’s criticism of boxing. “I don’t like anything Dana says about boxing because he’s constantly attacking it and saying that it’s not what it once was,” the host remarked. This promoted Jake Paul to hit out at the UFC CEO. “The truth of the matter is boxing is bigger than ever. The biggest sporting event of the year in 2024 was boxing. Whereas MMA is becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing, essentially,” Paul responded.

Paul explained that it was the MMA that had now morphed into what resembles more kickboxing than MMA. He contended, “There’s not a lot of takedowns, and even if there is it’s boring but everyone’s good at takedown defense so it’s literally kickboxing.” Jake Paul then pointed out that one of MMA’s biggest stars, Alex Pereira, is a kickboxer and a striker, which further underscored his point about the change in MMA.

While Jake Paul is focused on his career in the ring, Dana White’s name continues to make waves in the business world. Dana White is now in talks with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to launch a new Saudi Boxing League, following their collaboration in 2024, despite expressing his displeasure with present-day boxing numerous times. So would he succeed this time around with boxing, asked the co-host? “He’s already failed,” said Jake Paul bluntly.

Meanwhile, his partner was a little more lenient. “He’s doing UFC. He has a slap contest league that’s, you know, going. He’s pushing skateboarding… but if you look at his platform and how he exercises his reach and so, he’s going to try to influence a new boxing league, which is no problem,” added Nakisa Bidarian.

However, with the UFC president’s influence spreading across various ventures, it’s clear that Jake Paul remains focused on solidifying his place in the world of boxing. So what’s your take on this matter? Do you think Jake Paul’s fights are legitimate, or do you believe they’re rigged?