Dana White appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast yesterday and naturally it was only a matter of time before the topic of a potential Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul fight came up.
It’s a fight that Paul has been calling for repeatedly, but as far as White is concerned it doesn’t make sense given that size difference between the two.
“Well, he shouldn’t even be fighting Conor McGregor,” White told Jake’s brother Logan. “These guys [the Pauls] are f*cking huge. [Logan] is huge, his brother [Jake] is huge. What’s your brother, 6-foot-1, 210 [pounds]? Conor McGregor is 145, 155 pounds. … There’s weight classes for a reason.”
When asked by White if his brother could even make 170lbs, Paul replied, “I don’t think so.”
“It’s a stretch for Conor to fight at 170,” White responded. “He fought Nate [Diaz] at 70, that isn’t his f*cking weight class, not even close.”
However, Jake Paul was apparently not convinced by White’s stance on the matter and called him out on social media after the interview.
“Dana White is begging for Diaz and Conor to fight for a third time…they have fought at 170 pounds in both their fights,” Paul wrote. “White I will fight Conor at 175 pounds, no problem. Stop making excuses pu**ies.”
Paul has so far made a career out of fighting MMA stars who are considerably smaller than him, having fought natural 170lb’ers Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. That seems like a strategy he’s attempting to continue going forward, as apart from former 145lb + 155lb champ McGregor, he’s also been targeting other fighters who have moved between lightweight and welterweight during their UFC careers like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.
Despite the apparent animosity Paul has for White, the UFC president didn’t completely shoot down the idea that he could one day fight in the Octagon however.
“I’m never completely closed off to anything,” White said. “I used to say that about things, but I don’t say that anymore, because you never know. You never know what could happen.
“Listen, he’s a young kid out there trying to make some money, and I don’t fault anybody for that.
“It was never off-putting to me,” White said of Paul’s confrontational attitude towards him. “In this business, it’s about attention. How much attention can you get? But more importantly, who gives a s***? Who cares that you’re going to fight this guy on Saturday night? You’ve got to make people care. You’ve got to make people stay home. They have a lot of different choices on Saturday, what to do with their time — you’ve got to make them stay home and pay for it. And everybody has a different style of doing that.
“I’m not against [Paul’s approach]. The thing is with me, if I really don’t like you and whatever, I won’t respond to you. I would’ve never responded to it.”
Watch White’s full interview with Logan Paul below.
