Jake Paul‘s latest move in the fight game has Dana White shaking his head—literally laughing it off. The UFC boss isn’t worried about the YouTuber-turned-promoter’s new MMA power play, and he made that crystal clear.
Paul recently merged his Most Valuable Promotions company with the PFL, bringing together a roster of more than 400 fighters under the MVP banner. But White? He’s not losing sleep over it. According to the UFC president, combining two organizations that “don’t sell tickets and nobody watches” doesn’t suddenly create something the fight world needs to fear. His take was blunt and dismissive, treating the whole merger like a joke. Meanwhile, Jake Paul has been on a mission to challenge UFC’s dominance while pushing for higher fighter pay and better conditions for athletes across the sport.
Paul’s entry into MMA promotion actually turned heads when his Netflix event featuring Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano reportedly drew 17 million viewers worldwide. That’s the kind of reach most promoters dream about. With the PFL merger now locked in, Paul gains access to fighters like Usman Nurmagomedov and Dakota Ditcheva as he tries to build something that could genuinely compete long-term.
The moment Anthony Joshua knocked Jake Paul out! #JakeJoshua pic.twitter.com/TiP0ovbpzf
— Netflix (@netflix) December 20, 2025
White shifted his perspective though, saying his real competition isn’t other MMA companies anymore. He’s focused on major sports and entertainment brands—the big players changing how people consume combat sports and entertainment experiences overall. “We’re on a whole other stratosphere now,” he said. “Those guys aren’t my competition.”
Still, White ended on a surprisingly gracious note. Despite all the shade he threw, he wished Paul and his partners the best. Sometimes the fight game’s biggest rivalries come with unexpected respect underneath.
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