If Jake Paul is to be believed, there are talks in motion for him to box a UFC fighter, and he has strongly hinted that this fighter may be Kamaru Usman.
The idea of Jake Paul boxing Kamaru Usman is hard to believe for many reasons. Firstly, Kamaru Usman is still obviously under UFC contract, meaning he would need the promotion’s blessing to accept fighting projects elsewhere. Second, Usman has publicly expressed to Jake Paul during a heated exchange that he is not interested in “play fighting.” And finally, when asked if he would be interested in collaborating with Triller, the company that hosted the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event, here is what Dana White had to say at the UFC 262 post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Fighting).
“Oh my god, don’t even ask me about these idiots,” White said about Triller. “Who gives a sh*t? Does anybody give a sh*t? I don’t give a sh*t what they think. You think I care what Triller thinks? I don’t even take their calls. This idiot calls me everyday. Texts me every day ‘please answer my call, please talk to me, why won’t you talk to me?’ Cause I don’t give a f*ck about you. Do your thing. Leave me alone. F*cking do whatever it is you’re doing. Knock yourself out. I could care less.”
Jake Paul claims that this isn’t an issue because he is not contractually obligated to Triller, thus he claims he can help give fighters something that White isn’t: better pay.
“I’m a free agent,” Paul said when asked about his status with Triller as transcribed by Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting). “Look, I think that’s the way it should be with all fighters. It just sucks to see these young kids, these young boxers, these young UFC champions get tied up into these contracts where they’re owned by the promoter. They’re owned by Dana White and they’re not getting fair pay, they’re not getting the fights they want. It’s a big problem. How is Arianny Celeste—she’s a ring girl, right?—how is she making more money than some of the fighters in the octagon who are risking their lives? It doesn’t make sense to me and it’s just a big problem.
“I’m hoping to help change that and just help fighters realize they are the content. They are the ones that the fans are showing up for. They are the ones that are driving these pay-per-views. They’re the ones risking their lives and they should be rewarded for that.”
“Conversations Happening” Between Usman’s Management & The UFC
According to Paul, he is already in the process of “changing that,” as he claims Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is already talking with Dana White about putting something together.
“Look, there’s conversations happening,” Paul said. “I believe Kamaru’s manager is already in talks with Dana and I think that’s all I can say. A hundred percent, I’m down for all the smoke. I want all the smoke.”
Given Jake Paul’s recent conflict with Usman, it’s only logical to connect the dots and deduce that Paul is claiming Abdelaziz is in talks with White specifically about Usman in relation to Paul. One key detail that Paul is overlooking, though, is that White is not only on the record in saying he is uninterested in working with Triller, but he has also shut down the idea of working with Paul directly, referring to his boxing career as a “freak show.”
It all sounds like a long shot, but if the unthinkable happens and Jake Paul actually books a boxing match against Kamaru Usman or any other UFC fighter, we’ll bring you the scoop right here on MMANews.com!
How seriously do you take Jake Paul’s claims of “conversations happening” regarding a potential collaboration between him and the UFC?
