Jake Paul and Dana White clearly don’t like each other, and it doesn’t seem like the beef is going to end, anytime soon. In fact, over the past few weeks, Paul has been advocating for equal pay when it comes to fighters in the UFC. Paul has stated that the best fighters in MMA are coming to boxing because they know they can actually get paid what they are worth. This is a sentiment that was echoed on Friday as Paul took part in a stare-down with Tyron Woodley.
“There’s a movement, moving forward that is gonna show that fighters should be getting paid more,” Paul said. “It’s unfair. The UFC fighters don’t have fair pay. Out of all the sports, the percentage that the owners get versus the athlete, they’re the lowest. Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones, that fight should happen. Dana White, pay them the $10 million. He’s taking their money. They’re the ones making the content. They’re the ones getting in the ring, risking their life.”
Paul also spoke on fighter Chris Weidman who broke his leg in the Octagon. As Paul correctly points out, these fighters are risking their lives for the sport, only for White to deprive them of the money they deserve.
“Chris Weidman goes in, snaps his leg in half,” Paul said. “What’s that look like? He might never be able to fight again and provide food for his family. These fighters are risking their lives. You can quite literally die in the ring and they need to be compensated more. I’m a big proponent of that movement and being in control. It’s just like music labels, same thing. These artists are getting owned and they get locked up into these s**tty contracts and they don’t know what to do.”
UFC fighters have complained about poor pay in the past although White has done very little to change things. He has been known for blaming the fighters for when contracts go through, and now, people are starting to get sick of it. With Paul leading the charge, perhaps UFC fighters will have a bit more leverage, moving forward.
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