Jake Paul: ‘People can make more money in boxing than in the UFC’
Soon after Jake Paul transitioned from a YouTube content creator to a professional boxer, he’s been an advocate for higher fighter pay in combat sports. He targets the UFC specifically on the issue and continues to do so whenever he gets the chance.
Paul’s next boxing match is against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The two headlined the Oct. 29 SHOWTIME PPV event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Two of Paul’s previous opponents were former UFC fighters: Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Paul believes the fight with Silva shows that UFC fighters want to crossover into boxing because they can make more money than they can inside the octagon.
“I think this shows that people can make more money in boxing than they can in the UFC, and I hope that the UFC starts to pay fighters more,” Paul said during the Paul vs. Silva Kickoff Press Conference.
“This is a step in the right direction, but it’s clear that all of their talent and roster is sort of chasing that. Why is Kamaru Usman begging to fight Canelo (Álvarez)? Why does Conor (McGregor) want to fight Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) again before making an MMA return? The list goes on. Why did Nate Diaz say that he’s going into boxing now? Hopefully this can increase purses in the UFC, increase the minimum fighter pay,” Paul said.
“I think this is just proving that there’s a new business model in the sport. Hopefully we can get fighters paid more.”
