Dana White recently offered a rare compliment to Jake Paul.
White and Paul have spent the last few years trading shots in a very public feud. “The Problem Child” has repeatedly taken aim at the UFC CEO over fighter pay, while White has routinely brushed off Paul’s boxing run as little more than a spectacle built on crossover matchups.
However, in a surprising turn, the UFC head honcho had words of praise for Paul. Speaking during a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, White shared his thoughts on the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s bout against former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which took place last December in Miami.
White acknowledged Paul’s resilience and the success he has managed to carve out in combat sports through his boxing ventures.
Once he got hit with that shot, and he went down, broke his jaw, 'AJ' didn't knock him out... If I give Jake Paul any credit, I'll give him that and that he's built himself a business and he's made a lot of money," White said.
After a largely calculated fight, Paul was ultimately stopped by Joshua in the sixth round. However, the power of “AJ’s” strikes proved too much for the 29-year-old Ohio native, and it was later revealed that he had suffered a double broken jaw in the bout.
White’s recent comments marked a noticeable shift from his interview with Morgan in January, when he remarked that Paul was “lucky he isn’t eating out of a feeding tube” after the punishment he absorbed from Joshua.
The bout proved to be a massive success, drawing an average of 33 million viewers worldwide and becoming one of the biggest boxing audiences for a live event on Netflix in 2025.
The slow-motion clip of Joshua’s finishing blow alone racked up 214 million impressions across Netflix’s social media channels, making it the most-viewed clip from any live event streamed by the platform. The event also set a new record for the highest-grossing boxing gate in the history of the Kaseya Center.
