TLDR
- Jake Paul says the UFC is dying under Dana White’s leadership due to corporate greed
- He criticized the UFC for not booking Jon Jones at the White House event despite massive profits
- Paul called White ‘not smart enough’ and said the company has forgotten its heart
- Paul made the comments on Theo Von’s podcast while promoting his own MMA event
- The ongoing feud between Paul and White has lasted six years over fighter pay issues
Sources: BroBible | BJPenn.com | MMA Junkie | Sherdog
Jake Paul has launched a fresh attack on UFC CEO Dana White, claiming the mixed martial arts promotion is dying due to corporate greed and poor leadership. The YouTuber-turned-boxer made the comments during an appearance on Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend.”
Paul specifically criticized the UFC’s upcoming Freedom 250 event scheduled for the White House lawn in May. He questioned why heavyweight champion Jon Jones was not included on the card despite the fighter’s status as one of the sport’s biggest stars.
“Why are you not going to pay Jon Jones?” Paul said during the interview. “This is one of the most profitable sports organizations in history.”
Paul Questions White’s Decision-Making
When Von suggested that White was a “very smart guy,” Paul disagreed. “Not smart enough,” he responded.
Paul pointed to the UFC Freedom 250 main event featuring Ilia Topuria versus Justin Gaethje as evidence of poor planning. He predicted Gaethje would lose to the Spanish fighter on what he called a “patriotic White House card.”
Jake Paul said Dana White isn’t smart enough and the UFC is dying pic.twitter.com/wpL1lG4rP5
— Vinny’s Corner (@VinnysCorner1) April 7, 2026
The social media star also criticized the UFC’s business model under its parent company TKO Group. “Their investors have gotten greedy, they’re in control, they are looking at the P&Ls [profits and losses] and being like, ‘Yo, we can just keep pumping this,” Paul said.
Paul claimed the UFC has “forgotten their heart as a company” by prioritizing profits over fighter compensation. He argued this approach is causing the promotion to decline.
The UFC Freedom 250 event will be headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between Topuria and Gaethje. The card also features light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira moving up to heavyweight to fight Ciryl Gane.
Paul Offers to Work With UFC
Despite his criticism, Paul said he would be open to TKO Group acquiring his own MMA promotion, MVP MMA. “Buy us. We’ll help you guys not be idiots,” he stated.
Paul runs Most Valuable Promotions and plans to host his own MMA event on May 16. The card will feature a fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.
The feud between Paul and White has stretched over six years, with the two frequently clashing over fighter pay and other UFC-related issues. They had an awkward encounter at the College Football Playoff Championship Game earlier this year that went viral on social media.
Former UFC fighters Francis Ngannou and Ronda Rousey have also publicly criticized the upcoming White House event. The criticism reflects broader concerns among some fans about recent UFC fight card lineups.
Paul also complained about the prevalence of wrestling-heavy fighting styles in the UFC. “It’s dying, because the best people in the sport become wrestlers and they just hold on,” he said, mentioning fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev as examples.
White has not publicly responded to Paul’s latest comments. UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled to take place on the White House lawn in the coming weeks.
