Jake Paul has again blasted UFC president Dana White as their bitter feud continues, branding the MMA boss a "s***bag" for gifting a pal $250,000 in cash.
Controversy was raised when White was seen giving Kyle Forgeard, the leader of popular YouTube prank group Nelk, the quarter-of-a-million dollar cash gift in a massive bag earlier this week. Fans and fighters were outraged that the social media star, whose net worth is already well in the millions, was gifted an amount bigger than the UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo's last purse.
Figueiredo reclaimed the 125lb strap after a gruelling trilogy with Brandon Moreno back in January, and was paid just $150,000 as a base, although he ended up taking home $200,000 due to his $50,000 fight of the night bonus. But White nonchalantly handed tens of thousands more than that to his YouTuber friend at a plush meal.
"It sucks and it's embarrassing," Paul told WFAN Sports Radio's Carton and Roberts show of the video. "It just shows how much of a s***bag Dana White is.
"How could you do that to your fighters? You're giving out birthday gifts to someone but your own flyweight champion you can't pay him enough? And there's no healthcare for his fighters?
"People are really starting to see how greedy this guy is, people are really starting to see that these fighters are underpaid. There's got to be some change made here. The more we talk about it, the more we raise awareness and the more we fight back, the more pressure they're going to be under to pay their fighters more.
"But it sucks, man. I feel bad for the flyweight champion...and Dana White, if you're listening to this, bro, you really need to re-evaluate yourself and take a hard look in the mirror."
What did you make of Dana White's flashy gesture to his YouTuber pal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
The Paul and White feud has been raging on for weeks, with the 5-0 boxer making his stance on fighter pay one of his key talking points in recent years. He has even claimed that he will fight in the UFC for free as a gesture of good will if the promotion will move their minimum fighter purse from $12,000 to $50,000, and introduce a long-term healthcare plan.
But the UFC don't appear interested, with White often brushing Paul off as a troll, and noting that he needs to get his footing in boxing by facing real challenges. He will do just that next month when he faces Hasim Rahman Jr at Madison Square Garden; a 12-1 heavyweight with world title heritage in his family.
Paul has been angling for a fight with Nate Diaz, who wants out of his current UFC contract, but the promotion appear to be dragging their heels on organising his final match-up. It appears that once Diaz is out of his MMA deal, he will move over to boxing and face Paul.
