Jake Paul rips Dana White & UFC, ‘MMA is becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing'

Boxer Jake Paul is tired of the attention MMA has received over boxing as of late and doesn't see eye-to-eye with UFC CEO Dana White regarding its beautiful brutality.

Paul Rips Current State Of MMA & UFC

Speaking on the "All The Smoke Fight" podcast, Paul, fresh off a high-profile fight against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson last November, lashed out about how MMA is viewed versus boxing.

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Jake Paul fights Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

“MMA is not what it was, that’s the truth of the matter,” Paul said. "Boxing is bigger than ever. The biggest sporting event of the year, of 2024, was boxing, whereas MMA is becoming a s***tier version of boxing, essentially. It’s kickboxing. Because everyone is getting good takedown defense and everyone is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. So there’s no more submissions really, there’s not a lot of takedowns and even if there is it’s f***ing boring, but everyone is good at takedown defense. So it’s literally kickboxing.”

Although Paul gave credit to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira for quickly becoming one of the promotion's biggest stars, the Ohio native said Pereira is a rare exception in a sport some call oversaturated.

Alex Pereira reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Guess who the biggest star of the sport is in MMA? Alex Pereira, who is a kickboxer, because he’s knocking everyone out, blah, blah, blah,” Paul said. “And he’s the best one because no one can take him down, no one can submit him so he’s just knocking everyone out. The UFC has less significant strikes per rounds, and that’s with five-minute rounds. So boxing is going to stand the test of time because it has ... since the 1500s. 500, 600 years of boxing. I don’t think MMA — I’m not long on MMA, because it’s becoming boxing.”

White has since refused to mention Paul by name in recent years, infamously challenging the boxer to a random cocaine test for two years, which was proposed in 2022. Paul never obliged, and the two have since clashed heads.

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