Jake Paul's attempt to set up a fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou fell flat. The YouTuber-turned-boxer and PFL co-owner got a public "no" from UFC President Dana White.
Eric Nicksick, Ngannou's longtime coach, recently hinted that his fighter might be ready to step back into the UFC spotlight. He told Home of Fight that Ngannou's 2022 departure from UFC "was never personal, it was business."
Paul jumped on this opening. He took to social media platform X with a big idea:
"No different than Mayweather McGregor. Two promotions coming together to put on a global event for the fans."
Paul's plan included a $20 million purse for both Jones and Ngannou in a 'winner-takes-all' MMA fight.
But Dana White wasn't having it. He shot down the proposal quickly:
"I'm not interested in that. We tried to make that fight. They didn't want to do it. It's done. [Ngannou] doesn't fight here anymore. I'm not interested."
White had said in 2023 that UFC tried to make the fight happen but gave up when Ngannou left. His rejection shows how UFC keeps tight control over its business. They don't want to share money or power with other promotions.
The public reaction was mostly dismissive of Paul. One user on Reddit's r/ufc said:
"Pissing off Dana White and embarrassing the UFC brand is probably Jake Paul's only redeeming feature."
This whole situation brings up some bigger issues in MMA. Paul argues that top fighters in PFL or UFC could make more money from joint promotions. But White sees UFC fighters as subcontractors without the leverage boxers have in super-fights.
Paul wants promotions to work together for bigger events. UFC wants to keep control and all the money.
In the end, Paul couldn't make his dream fight happen. It shows that in the fight game, you can't just buy your way to the top. You've got to earn it - or be willing to share.
