Dana White and Jake Paul have thrown plenty of verbal jabs each other’s way over the years since the latter got involved in combat sports.

Names have started to come out of the woodwork to take on “The Problem Child” after the recently announced postponement of Paul’s hugely advertised and built matchup against boxing icon Mike Tyson. Originally set for July 20 in the massive AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys play, Paul’s dream match hit a snag when the 57-year-old Tyson had an ulcer flare-up last Friday. The health scare resulted in the spectacle’s delay.

UFC CEO White has never been interested in Paul’s celebrity or influencer-esque boxing career. The YouTuber-turned-pro pugilist started in 2020 after a 2018 amateur debut and has yet to look back. Seeing Paul face a handful of past UFC fighters and champions throughout his 10-match run (9-1), White has vehemently been opposed to the Tyson matchup, in particular.

“God no [I didn’t help pull that match off],” White said on FLAGRANT of Paul vs. Tyson. “When this fight happens, Tyson will be 58 f*cking years old. A f*cking almost 60-year-old man shouldn’t be fighting a 27-year-old guy. Under any circumstances. Even if it’s Mike Tyson. It’s just f*cking ridiculous.

“My biggest problem with the Jake Paul thing and how this plays out is, when he actually fought somebody who was a boxer, who had the same type of record he has, who was his age, who is his size, he f*cking lost. So, they’re never gonna go that f*cking route again, right?”

Paul’s first and only loss came opposite Tommy Fury via a split decision in February 2023. The Cleveland native returned to boxing matches vs. MMA fighters directly after, rebounding with a unanimous decision win over longtime UFC veteran Nate Diaz the following August. Paul is currently on a three-match winning streak after back-to-back first-round knockouts against Andre August and Ryan Bourland.

The most recent matchups are what White expects and believes Paul should stick to going forward. Especially if people keep tuning in.

“If you can keep getting paid, right? One hundred percent [do it],” White said. “If you got people that are f*cking dumb enough to pay for that sh*t then f*cking, you know, good for you. Brilliant move [going to Netflix], too, because you don’t have to go pay. Everybody has f*cking Netflix. Just turn it on. Ah, f*ck it. I’ll turn it on and see what happens.

“I’m not against it. I love Mike Tyson. He’s f*cking almost 60 years old, you know what I mean? My f*cking back is killing me today. Killing me. I have no idea why. I guess it’s because I’m fifty-f*cking-four. This guy (Paul) is 27, he’s in his prime as a human, and it’s f*cking ridiculous. I love Mike and nobody wants to see Mike get beat by this f*cking jerk-off.”

If Tyson still ends up in the ring with Paul, it will be his first pro boxing match since June 2005. However, he did return to action for an exhibition against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. The match resulted in a split draw.

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LET’S WATCH

The MMA Hour.

Sean goes home.

LISTEN UP

No Bets Barred. MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Conner Burks discuss if Jared Cannonier can still make a title run or if Nassourdine Imavov will end the dream at UFC Louisville.

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Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

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Keep it tight.

They’re doing it on purpose.

So you want to be a fighter?

Ride or die.

Callout.

Wise move.

Did she go back in time?

Hero meeting.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shizuka Sugiyama (22-7-1) vs. Honoka Shigeta (4-0); Pancrase 346, July 21

Viktoriia Dudakova (8-0) vs. Sam Hughes (8-6); UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3

Azat Maksum (15-1) vs. CJ Vergara (12-5-1); UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3

FINAL THOUGHTS

You can tell this one bothers Dana more than the others so far, which feels a little bit weird because his former fighters and champions boxed Jake. Mike is understandably more personal for him from a friend and fan perspective though, so it makes sense.

Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

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Author: Staff

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