UFC President Dana White says there’s “zero” chance that YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul will get his desired fight with Conor McGregor. At least not right now.
Paul has been the talk of the combat sports world of late, after he knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard last month. In the buildup to and fallout of that fight, Paul called for a showdown with McGregor, who is the biggest star in MMA history and one of the UFC’s top lightweights. He even claimed his team has reached out to the Irishman about this potential showdown.
“My team is talking to his manager but that’s all I’ll say,” Paul told TMZ recently.
“It’s gonna be legendary,” he added. “I’m gonna win, too. That’s what I want people to understand. I’m gonna dedicate my life to winning that fight because I’m not going in there just to say I did it. I’m going in there to f**k Conor McGregor up.”
Despite Paul’s determination to make this McGregor fight a reality, White is adamant it will not be happening.
“Zero [chance],” White told TMZ when asked how likely this fight is to happen. “Listen man, I get it. Both of these kids—[Jake Paul] and his brother [Logan]—have done a good job of injecting themselves into the fight world. I am a huge Boston Celtics fan. I love Nate Robinson. Nate’s awesome, ok? But have you ever seen basketball fights? Have you ever seen when fights break out on the basketball court? Some of the sh*ttiest fights you’ll ever see in your life.
“[Fighting] Nate Robinson and trying to take on Conor McGregor are two different things,” White added.
While Dana White is closing the book on Jake Paul taking on Conor McGregor, he does recognize that there’s an appetite for crossover fights of this type. It’s just not the right time for McGregor to be involved in them.
“I get it,” White said. “There’s a lot of money it. There’s a market for those kinds of fights. It’s just not what I do.
“There will be a day when Conor McGregor can do these type of fights and make all kind of money,” White concluded. “Conor McGregor’s one of the best on the f**king planet. He’s one of the greatest fighters on earth right now. He shouldn’t be fighting kids that have f**king YouTube videos, ok?”