Ali Abdelaziz: I Think Kamaru Usman vs. Jake Paul Could Sell 3 or 4 Million PPVs
According to Dominance MMA leader, Ali Abdelaziz, his client, reigning undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, as well as polarizing YouTuber turned professional boxer, Jake Paul could sell “three or four million” pay-per-view buys if they were to meet in a boxing match.
3-0 professional boxer, Jake has continuously ruffled feathers since his April 17. Triller Fight Club knockout win over former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion and former UFC welterweight contender, Ben Askren — calling for boxing matches against high-profile mixed martial artists.
The Ohio native has been linked to eventual showdowns against the likes of Dillon Danis, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Dustin Poirier, as well as calling for clashes with former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley.
Involved in some notable back-and-forths with Usman on Twitter, Paul claimed that he could offer the Auchi native a payday of $10 million to score a professional boxing match against him.
Speaking with TMZ Sports recently, Abdelaziz claimed that Paul wouldn’t have enough “medical insurance” to cover the costs of the result of a matchup with Usman.
“Listen, I don’t think Jake Paul has enough medical insurance — coverage to even fight Kamaru Usman,” Abdelaziz said. “To fight Kamaru and then after that, he needs to be in bed or hospital for a long time, cause, listen, he’s an internet kid, he’s a YouTuber. I’m talking about pound-for-pound, best fighter right now, Kamaru Usman. This fight (with Paul) can happen? Yes! Absolutely it can happen, but it’s only one guy that happen, right? This whole Triller thing, I don’t know too much about it. But I know, we saw Dana White — pound-for-pound the best promoter we’ve ever seen. He made the Floyd Mayweather vs. (Conor) McGregor (fight), you understand.“
“Listen, if it makes money, it makes sense,” Abdelaziz explained. “Dana White is not racist, I’m not racist toward money. Kamaru Usman will eat this boy’s heart out. He will bring, back in the days in the jungle, cause Kamaru used to live in the jungle, I don’t know if you know that. He used to live with a lot of animals, a lot lions, that’s where he used to grow up. Like Tarzan, they call him the black Tarzan.“
If a potential matchup between Usman and Paul actually takes place, Abdelaziz believes it could gross between three to four million pay-per-view buys.
“Like I said, Dana White is not racist against money, his green” Abdelaziz said. “We like green, we like money. Money is for hunnies. But the whole thing is — Dana White is the boss. When they stand on the stage, Dana White has to have the microphone, he has to be the promoter. And believe me, these Triller people, they want Dana to be the promoter.“
“Because when Dana is the promoter, he’s gonna get the UFC’s monster machine behind it and it’s gonna sell — I think this fight does three or four million pay-per-view buys. But, on (the) UFC platform, I don’t know if Triller’s platform is big enough — or, listen, we can do it jointly, like friends, everybody likes to make money, you understand?“
Whilst Abdelaziz has noted his willingness in Usman taking on Paul in the future, the defending champion already has sights fixed on his fifth attempted defence of the welterweight champion, calling for a June 12. return at UFC 263 in a showdown against the #7 rated contender, Michael Chiesa.
Usman headlined UFC 261 two weeks ago at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida — scoring a massive second round knockout win over Jorge Masvidal to lodge a second career win over the Miami native in the pair’s rematch.
