© Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Is the UFC dying? The company is still the world’s foremost mixed martial arts promotion, but according to Jake Paul, it’s on the way down, and UFC Dana White is a large reason why.
Paul recently made an appearance on the This Past Weekend podcast with Theo Von and discussed a number of topics, including his upcoming MVP MMA show on May 16 and whether or not the company is competing with the UFC.
Not only does Paul believe that he’s in competition with the UFC, but he sounds confident that MVP MMA will win that competition sooner rather than later.
Jake Paul Says UFC Is Dying Under The Leadership Of Dana White
Paul initially stated that he’d be open to the TKO Group, UFC’s parent company, acquiring MVP MMA so that he could help lead the company in the right direction.
“I’m open to it,” Paul said. “Buy us. We’ll help you guys not be idiots. The amount of money you would spend—Like, I don’t have an ego. I’ll work with anybody.”
When Von replied that White was a “very smart guy,” Paul balked at the idea.
“Not smart enough,” Paul said. “Just look at what he’s doing. You don’t not pay your fighters, you don’t get Jon Jones on the White House card. First of all, Justin Gaethje is going to lose to Ilia [Topuria] on the White House card. So you have a Spaniard beating a white American on the patriotic White House card. Big mistake, first of all.
“Second of all, why are you not going to pay Jon Jones? … This is one of the most profitable sports organizations in history. Their investors have gotten greedy, they’re in control, they are looking at the P&Ls [profits and losses] and being like, ‘Yo, we can just keep pumping this sh–.’ They forgot their heart as a company, and that’s the problem. It’s dying.”
Saying that the UFC is “dying” is probably a bit hyperbolic. But Paul is right that the company is struggling mightily to book the biggest fights possible, and fans are noticing.
Whether that’s White’s fault is up for debate. But he certainly doesn’t seem to be helping matters.