Following the announcement that Jake Paul would face MMA icon Nate Diaz in Utah on August 5, UFC president Dana White has responded to yet another of his former fighters stepping into the boxing ring against Paul.
After suffering his first career defeat to Tommy Fury, 'The Problem Child' is seeking a rebound in the forthcoming bout.
White was asked for his opinions about the fight between a man he has publicly beefed with in the past year and a star he tried desperately to keep on the UFC roster.
The 53-year-old was surprisingly nice about the match-up while chatting with assembled media post-fight at UFC Kansas City.
White said: “I don’t want to s*** on other people’s fights, like Oscar De La Weirdo [Hoya].
“I don’t want to talk about the fight. First of all, neither of these guys is my guy, there’s just no need for me to comment on it or whatever.
“I wish them the best. I hope they make a zillion dollars.”
While announcing his boxing debut, Diaz clearly still had one eye on the UFC and claimed he would return to MMA’s premier league after beating Paul this summer.
White remains a fan of the 37-year-old and refused to rule out inviting him back, adding: “We love Nate. I don’t know. Let’s see [what happens].”
Although he refrained from engaging in trash talk, there is certainly no love lost between UFC president Dana White and Jake Paul, who has publicly criticized White for mistreating and underpaying fighters.
White has publicly admonished the 26-year-old for targeting UFC fighters instead of professional boxers, and has expressed particular annoyance at the former Disney actor for approaching athletes under contract with his organization.
Paul has amassed an undefeated record of 6-0 by defeating non-boxers, including a knockout win over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib and a victory over retired NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
In his next four fights, the internet celebrity faced criticism for selecting old, undersized MMA fighters as opponents, despite securing victories against Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), and Anderson Silva.
Following his defeat to a professional boxer, Paul has returned to fighting an MMA icon in Diaz, who is considered past his prime but still holds high regard for his boxing skills among UFC fans. Diaz was previously used as a sparring partner for two-weight boxing champion Andre Ward before retiring from his career in 2017.