Dana White Nixes Jake Paul vs. Jorge Masvidal Talk: ‘Go Fight Somebody Your Own Size’
UFC President Dana White is adamant about YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul fighting someone closer to his size rather than Jorge Masvidal who currently campaigns at 170lbs after spending most of his career at lightweight. While Paul has been calling out UFC fighters like Masvidal, White suggested he fight someone that isn’t under contract with him, most notably Anderson Silva.
“Masvidal’s 170 pounds,” White told The Daily Telegraph. “He likes 170-pounders. Go fight somebody your own size. Anderson Silva’s not under contract, he’s 46 years old – that’s the age group you love to fight – and he’s your size and he’s actually winning fights. If you look at Jake Paul’s history, Jake Paul either fights basketball players who have never fought or he wants to fight washed up older guys who haven’t won fights in years. Anderson Silva has actually been boxing, he’s won some fights, he’s 46 years old, and he’s in your weight class. There you go. That’s a no-brainer. Fight Anderson Silva…
“Fans would actually probably like to see that fight. It’s actually a viable fight that would actually sell some pay-per-views. Cause no matter what they tell ya, he ain’t f*cking selling pay-per-views. The brother did. Logan, when he fought Floyd Mayweather, they sold some PPVs. Triller ain’t selling jack sh*t. Those guys couldn’t f*cking give away pay-per-views. If Jake Paul goes out and actually fights Anderson Silva, it’s a viable fight.”
White and Paul have had a contentious history on social media, repeatedly taking shots at each other on a weekly basis. However, even White has been able to admit that Paul’s ability to promote and market himself is impressive and his unique persona is why Showtime needs him.
“Showtime needs f*cking Jake Paul,” White said. “Their fucking fights are pulling 70K viewers for Christ’s sake. I could take a picture of my fucking big toe and put it on Instagram and more would see that than a Showtime fight. They need Jake Paul. So whatever they’re f*cking paying him, it’s probably not enough. They probably need to pay him more. They need that f*cking guy.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)
Certainly some interesting words from the UFC president regarding Jake Paul. Only time will tell where the journey for Paul takes him in the sport of boxing, but it’s hard to deny his innate ability to sell himself.
Who should Jake Paul fight next? How would he fare against Anderson Silva or Jorge Masvidal?
