Jake Paul and UFC president Dana White have never seen eye to eye.
The former Disney star continues to add more bouts to his boxing record in a career inside the ring that has lasted longer and had more success than many predicted.
‘El Gallo’ is days out from his next assignment, which figures to be his toughest and most dangerous to date. After his exhibition bout against Gervonta Davis was canceled, Paul will fight Anthony Joshua in a Netflix main event on December 19.
The matchup marks a drastic difference to Paul’s early days in the ring, when he was facing fellow online stars, athletes, and wrestling specialists.
Among the first to try and stall Paul’s boxing ambitions was Ben Askren. Four years on, the idea that the former Bellator and ONE champion was going to be competitive against the 28-year-old is not even entertained.
That was not the case at the time, however, and Askren’s ex-employer was extremely confident in the MMA star’s chances.
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Jake Paul would have taken $2 million from Dana White after proving the UFC boss wrong
Jake Paul is still fighting to be taken seriously in combat sports by many, so it’s not surprising what most said about his skills when he had only beaten fellow YouTubers and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson in early 2021.
Dana White was one of the most vocal in laughing off his chances of success in the ring. The UFC president was so confident, in fact, that he said he would bet $1 million on Askren beating Paul while appearing on the Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast.
“Listen, let’s be honest, Jake Paul isn’t a f—- boxer. This guy’s a f—- YouTube kid.
“The kid that he’s gonna fight (Askren) is a wrestler. A real good wrestler, decorated wrestler. But he’s actually fought real guys. He’s been a world champion in other organizations in MMA.
“I hope you can bet on this thing, ‘cause I’ll f—-, I’ll bet a million dollars that he loses this f—- fight. I’ll bet a million dollars that he loses this fight. So I hope we can bet on this.”
Paul was willing to grant White’s wish, and even up the stakes.
Responding to the UFC president’s remarks, the confident Cleveland native pitched an even bigger bet that would have seen him and White offering up $2 million each.
“Dana let’s double the bet up! $2 million,” Paul wrote on X.
“We wire the money into escrow. $4 million total. Winner takes all. My team will be in touch to make a contract.
“After I knock out Ben, we can set up Jake Paul vs Dana White 2021 since you consider yourself a ‘boxer’ and me a ‘YouTuber’,” he added.
That did not come to fruition, and White would have been glad that he avoided the wager.
Paul knocked out Askren in one round, marking the first of what would become many victories over past-their-prime MMA veterans.
How Dana White reacted to Jake Paul boxing Anthony Joshua
Paul has certainly gone above and beyond what White was predicting in the sport, but the UFC CEO is once again backing against ‘El Gallo’ for his next fight.
Given the opposition, the 56-year-old promoter is far from alone.
When White reacted to Paul boxing Joshua, he suggested that those who have long wanted to see the ex-Disney star knocked out in the ring will finally have their wish granted.
“That’s a f—— bad idea,” White said during his post-fight press conference after UFC 322.
“That’s a bad idea. But let me tell you what, a lot of people would watch that one.
“You know what everybody is tuning in on that one for. I think everybody is finally gonna get what they’ve been waiting for,” he added.
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