Jake Paul has alleged that TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of both UFC and WWE, has barred him from attending his brother Logan Paul’s WWE matches. In a recent interview on Smash Talk with Chael Sonnen and Ian Parker, ‘The Problem Child’ opened up about his ongoing feud with Dana White and the UFC.
“I don’t take any beefs too seriously,” Paul said. “I think it’s definitely in the name of entertainment. However, there is truth in it, and there are certain facts that I would like to see pushed through. Like the UFC fighter minimum pay being $12,000—that needs to rise. So there are all these serious things in it. But from my side, I’m just having fun.
“And the fact that one of the biggest organizations in the world, the TKO Group, has this major beef with me. They won’t even let me be in my brother’s WWE matches because they hate me so much. It’s pretty wild how much under their skin we are. And to me, it’s just been a fun journey. I enjoy trash talk. I like it when people make fun of me.
“I’m easy to make fun of, and I’m able to make fun of myself. So, the beef to me is just fun and entertaining for everybody.”
Jake Paul and Dana White have been at odds for years. Paul has consistently pushed for better fighter pay in the UFC, while White has repeatedly downplayed Paul’s boxing career, taking shots at the former Disney star in interviews and across social media.
Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), co-founded by Paul, has become a direct competitor to the UFC. MVP is set to host the MVP MMA card on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, featuring former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Paul recently claimed that this card is better than the UFC’s historic White House card scheduled for June 14.
Jake Paul has previously appeared inside a WWE ring. At WWE Crown Jewel 2022 in Saudi Arabia, he walked out to his song “It’s Everyday Bro” during Logan’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns. He even got involved by confronting The Usos, though Logan ultimately lost the match. Given the circumstances, TKO banning Paul—one of their competitors—makes sense due to the things he has been saying.
Jake Paul wants to give fighters another option beyond the UFC. He recently revealed his goal to change the MMA landscape. “It’s needed. It’s very, very needed in the sport,” Paul said. “I think it’s been a monopoly for so long, run by the UFC, and the fighters haven’t had another place to go where they get exposure and more pay.”
Paul believes fighters are already seeking bigger opportunities outside MMA because of the financial differences between boxing and the UFC. “That’s why a lot of the UFC guys want to box—they can get $10, $15, $20 million for a fight versus $1.5 million for being the champion.”
He also pointed to Francis Ngannou as an example. “Hopefully, UFC fighters can start to follow the path of Francis Ngannou. So, hopefully, fighters can realize they need to fight their way out of their UFC contract and then find more lucrative opportunities elsewhere.”
On one hand, Jake Paul wants to poach UFC fighters. On the other hand, he is surprised that TKO won’t allow him to attend WWE events. But in either case, fighters are benefiting from the competition, making it a positive development.
