There was initially a lot of trolling going on when it came to Jake Paul and his boxing venture, but it seems to have paid off. From fighting former UFC fighters to taking on the legendary Mike Tyson, the YouTube star has seen quite the success in the sport. However, former UFC fighter and legend Vitor Belfort seems to have a big issue with Paul, claiming that his entry into boxing was not a welcome addition.

Vitor Belfort is gearing up for his boxing fight against fellow legend Wanderlei Silva in a boxing match of their own. While talking about his fight, ‘The Phenom’ mentioned how he feels like the combat sports scene has been diluted and altered. Belfort claimed that he was never happy to see Jake Paul compete in boxing, revealing that he was lost for words when he heard about his venture for the first time.

Well, the money Jake Paul’s fights have been able to make has made it evident that he’s doing a good job. Vitor Belfort respects that, but he claims that the YouTuber’s involvement in the sport has made it all about entertainment, and not about the actual sport and the actual athletes. At the end of it all, he claims that people who are not real fighters, like Paul, should stay away from professional combat sports.

“Jake Paul is a fighter. I said, ‘What?’ I understand he is now. But he created a whole different element. He is not a real fighter. I have respect for what he did, but he’s not,” Vitor Belfort told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “He picked his opponents, he created his career, but people think this is real boxing. He’s not… I know he’s successful, I know he did something, but I mean, this is not what it is.”

However, influencers are not the only ones to blame for diluting combat sports. Vitor Belfort claims the biggest sporting brands in the world have also contributed to it, and he even called out their business tactics when it comes to sponsorships.

Vitor Belfort goes after Nike, Under Armour, and more while slaying Jake Paul.

Jake Paul likes to talk about his boxing venture being a professional one, but there are a lot of people who see it as nothing more than crossover fights between athletes and influencers. However, these fights have been able to make great impressions on social media, which has attracted the $197.5 billion sports apparel industry onto the scene. Brands like Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and many others have sponsored influencers, and Vitor Belfort has taken issue with it since real fighters hardly make that kind of money.

“We have UFC athletes competing with getting a sponsorship from influencers. So, when you go to Nike, when you go to Under Armour, and then you offer a fighter and they say, ‘How many likes he has’, it is disgusting,” Vitor Belfort further stated. “How many followers does he haveb, how many likes. I don’t care how many likes he has. I think you can never sign a sponsor or a deal because of likes.”

Well, this could be a serious rant on the current scenario of the combat sports world, or maybe it’s Vitor Belfort’s way of grabbing Jake Paul’s attention and fighting him for a big payday. We will have to wait and see how the YouTuber-turned-boxer reacts to these comments, but in the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.