Dana White has ruled out promoting Jake Paul under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Asked about it on the Plan Bri Uncut podcast, White said the model does not fit what he is building.
No. That’s not what I do. There’s obviously a market for that, but that’s not what I do. I put the best fighters in the world against each other. From the minute that they get into the sport, all the way up to world champion, the best fight the best. There’s always going to be a place for the Paul brother type fights, but that’s not what I do. The best. I’m looking for the best fighters in the world.
It is the same line he has taken on crossover bouts generally. White has previously said he does not want MMA fighters boxing under the Zuffa banner either, telling reporters he would keep boxers in boxing and MMA fighters in MMA.
He did give Paul credit for one thing.
I literally didn’t think that was going to happen. And I said, when you go in there and box a guy like AJ, this isn’t a joke. This isn’t a game. That could kill him. And look, he literally broke his face. It was a ballsy move getting in there with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round in Miami last December, breaking his jaw. Paul landed 16 punches across the fight.
Paul is 12-2 as a professional and works with Most Valuable Promotions, which has merged with the Professional Fighters League. He has said he wants an MMA fight next.
Zuffa Boxing is run by White and WWE President Nick Khan under TKO, with Turki Alalshikh and Sela as partners.
