Dana White on Netflix, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, and Francis Ngannou

“I think Netflix should have got involved in live sports years ago”

Dana White is not enamored with the upcoming Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match.

“There will be a 31-year age difference during that fight,” said White, as Tyson will be 58 and Paul will be 27 when they face off this summer. “You guys know what I think about that stuff.”

Speaking at the UFC 299 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO covered a myriad of topics. He was thrilled with the championship performance of Sean O’Malley, who defeated a very tough opponent in Chito Vera, as well as expressed his admiration for Dustin Poirier, who knocked out the incredibly dangerous Benoît Saint Denis.

Yet it was inevitable that the Tyson-Paul bout would work its way into the discussion, and White also touched on how that bout will air on Netflix.

“I think Netflix should have got involved in live sports years ago,” said White. “They’re late to the game, but they’re a force.

“As all these massive streaming companies start to get bigger and bigger, they have to be involved in live sports.”

Dana White asked if he had spoken to Mike Tyson about his fight with Jake Paul.

Also asked about Netflix airing it.#UFC pic.twitter.com/EL4VJtvrHX

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 10, 2024

White was also asked about Francis Ngannou’s performance against Anthony Joshua. A former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou was knocked out by Joshua in their boxing bout on Friday.

Considerable excitement had built around the fight, especially after Ngannou successfully tested undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a non-title bout last October.

“Going into [that] fight, if Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up looking like he ate Tyson Fury, it’s probably the way that fight would have ended, too,” said White. “Listen, you know how I feel about crossovers into boxing. That’s how they end: just like that.”

Dana White asked about Ngannou/Joshua fight:

Going into the Fury fight, if Fury trained for the fight and didn't show up and, ya know, look like he ate Tyson Fury, it's probably the way that fight would have ended too.#UFC pic.twitter.com/NYT1CDJsI1

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 10, 2024