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Some personalities who are known for their time with the UFC are siding with Jake Paul over UFC president Dana White.
Within the last six months, Paul has emerged as one of the biggest names in combat sports. He has a boxing record of 3-0 and recently defeated former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren in the ring by first-round TKO.
Paul attended Saturday night’s UFC 261 which led to White speaking about the YouTuber during the post-fight press conference. White dismissed Paul’s claim about the Triller Fight Club PPV generating 1.5 million buys and he called the event a “f****** circus.”
On Sunday, “The Problem Child” swung back at the UFC president via social media. It wasn’t the first time Paul took aim at White, however he hit a different angle this time: fighter pay. Paul compared his payday for the Askren bout to the amount that fighters are make fighting for the UFC.
He insinuated that White does not pay his athletes enough money, challenging him to open the checkbook to make the anticipated fight between heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou and former light heavyweight king Jon Jones.
Dana, you claimed you would bet $1M on me losing. Set up Askren to train with Freddie Roach… gave him full access to the UFCPI (Performance Institute)… and he still got his a** handed to him. Seems like you are the real douche… not Ariel (Helwani).
In my 3rd fight I made more money in total pay than any fighter in UFC history. Maybe it’s time to pay your fighters their fair share? No wonder they all want to get into boxing. Dana you say you make the fights the fans want to see… so hurry up and make (Jon) Jones vs. (Francis) Ngannou. Pay them their fair share… $10M purse for each guy, plus PPV (points).
Why are UFC fighters so underpaid vs Boxers? Why did I make more in my 3rd fight than all but two (Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Conor (McGregor)) UFC fighters have in history. I know why…
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Former UFC Middleweight Tim Kennedy Agreed With Paul’s Statement
Retired mixed martial artist Tim Kennedy agreed with The Problem Child’s sentiments. Kennedy, who is also a Green Beret and the host of the History Channel’s Hunting Hitler, is one of the most popular retired fighters in the sport with over 1 million followers on social media.
He retired shortly after his loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 206 in December 2016. Kennedy has a professional record of 18-6 with victories over the likes of Michael Bisping, Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef.
“Never in my life did I ever think I would agree with this dude in anything,” Kennedy said of Paul. “But he is spot on.”
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‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Veteran Nate Quarry Said Paul Is ‘Slowly Winning Him Over’
One of the biggest names from the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter is Nate Quarry. Although he retired from MMA in 2010, he was an important figure in the sport during the UFC’s boom on network television.
Quarry (12-4) fought in the organization 10 times and was the first-ever contestant from The Ultimate Fighter to compete for a UFC title. He fought Rich Franklin for the middleweight title and lost via first-round KO.
Over the years, “Rock” has been a vocal proponent of increasing fighter pay and was a major force in bringing awareness to the class-action lawsuit against the UFC, accusing the promotion of monopolistic practices.
Quarry alslo hopes that the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act will be expanded to include MMA.
“Ok… He’s slowly winning me over… #AliExpansionAct,” Quarry wrote.
Quarry continued, “AND he’s LOUDER than any of the champions that SHOULD be standing up and speaking truth to power. ANY of the champions could be a beacon to getting the Ali Expansion Act passed into law and see their paydays SKYROCKET. And yet…from the safest who stand to gain the most.”
Jones Tweeted to The Problem Child Hours After Paul Shared the Tweet
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Jones and White have a long history of sparring over the former champ’s pay. Recently, White said that “Bones” wants $30 million guaranteed to fight Ngannou. Jones refuted the UFC president’s claim, saying he’s never asked for that figure.
Bones took to social media a few hours after Paul’s post to congratulate him on the big payday for boxing Askren.
“Jake Paul congratulations on your victory, that knockout over Ben was absolutely beautiful,” Jones wrote. “If you’re seriously making over 5 million for a fight already, that’s wild. I’m so happy for you. Wishing you all the best on your combat sports journey.”
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