Dana White has denied that Jake Paul is a "thorn in his side" despite the pair having a very public rivalry.
UFC president White and Paul have been going back-and-forth in the media over recent months, with the YouTube star demanding that fighters in the promotion are paid better for their involvement.
And White has now said that despite making a number of abusive comments towards Paul and his manager Nakisa Bidarian that he doesn't hate the social media sensation, and appreciates that he is attempting to make money in his combat sports career.
Paul has garnered a lot of support from MMA fighters at various levels for his stance on fighter pay, which has irked White in the past, but he was much more contrite in an interview with Manouk Akopyan.
"He really hasn't been a thorn in my side," White insisted. "I really don't hate him like people think I hate him.
"He's a young guy, he's got a fanbase and he's trying to make some money so I don't ever fault anybody for that."
It's a stark contrast from last month's attack on Paul that White made in an Instagram video, where he said that he couldn't have written his own manifesto demanding better fighter pay because he's "too stupid".
White also took shots at former UFC Chief Financial Officer Bidarian, who is now in charge of Paul's career, calling him "an accountant" and making fun of his appearance.
Paul had said that he would retire from combat sports after taking a wildly unfavourable MMA fight with Jorge Masvidal for just $50,000 if White would make a number of changes to UFC fighter deals.
He wanted a minimum payout implemented of $50,000, a 50 per cent revenue share for fighters and long-term healthcare for anyone signed to the promotion.
"You’re too stupid," White said at the time of Paul's list of demands.
"And for those of you that don’t know, if you’ve ever watched one of his fights and you see the stare-down, the guy that’s standing in the middle with the warlock nose and the big wart on his face, apparently that’s his manager.
"That guy used to be an accountant for me and let’s just say this: He no longer works for me, and I think he’s a scumbag.
Would you like to see Jake Paul and Dana White work together on a fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"But, if you two think that you can do it better than we do, we’re doing the whole thing wrong and you’re treating the fighters better than we do: Knock yourself out.
"Go start your own business. It’s easy to do. You can’t sell pay-per-views.
"You’re calling out Jorge Masvidal because he’s a pay-per-view superstar. Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Mike Tyson – these are all superstars. You’re not. You can’t sell pay-per-views.
"So you do whatever the hell you want to do. I’m ready to roll, buddy. Let’s do this Jake."
White also indicated that he would be willing to entertain the prospect of a crossover fight, assuming anybody in boxing could get fans as intrigued as they were for Conor McGregor's bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Paul has already knocked out former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and formerly top ranked Ben Askren, but has yet to convince White he is the PPV star necessary to make a bout with McGregor or Masvidal happen.
