Jake Paul has challenged Conor McGregor to join his effort to improve fighter pay in MMA.
Paul has been vocal in his efforts to improve conditions for UFC fighters and plans to start up a fighters union if he beats Anderson Silva in their fight this Saturday. 'The Spider' was a fan of the idea and stressed the association should help all MMA fighters, not just those under the UFC banner.
Whilst taking a dig at McGregor by labelling him as “selfish”, Paul urged the former two-weight champion to join him and Silva in their efforts to start up a fighters union. “Conor, I have a message for you. Join me and Anderson in helping these fighters. We need all the help we can get,” Paul told The Mac Life.
Who wins this Saturday - Jake Paul or Anderson Silva? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
“You’ve been pretty selfish at this point in your whole entire career. What have you done for a lot of fighters? This would be a powerful statement for you to join. So stop it, stop running, stop hiding, stop being selfish. We need all the help we can get in making this union. Conor McGregor that’s the message, join me and Anderson Silva. It needs to be done.”
Paul has been challenging McGregor to a fight ever since ditching his internet fame to pursue boxing on a full-time basis, but the Irishman has given his call-outs little attention. McGregor has insisted he will box again in the future but is committed to making his UFC return in the first quarter of next year having not fought since breaking his leg against bitter rival Dustin Poirier last July.
Attempts to start a union for MMA fighters have been discussed for several years, with former UFC champions Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez and TJ Dillashaw launching one in 2016. Despite their best efforts, an official association has never been implemented in the sport but that could change if Paul scores his sixth professional win by beating Silva.
Paul believes it's important that popular UFC champions such as Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya also get behind the idea of starting up a new union, stating: "Not a UFC fighters association, but MMA association to help all MMA fighters, increasing fighter pay and getting them long-term healthcare. We need all the help we can get, Francis Ngannou, Israel Adesanya. Andre Ward has spoken about this before and Georges St-Pierre. I think Anderson is a great start [for it]."
