[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] continues to poke at UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag].
Paul regulated the faceoff between former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (17-3) and 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira (13-3), who square off in the main event of PFL’s Oct. 19 pay-per-view card at Mayadeen Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It’s no secret how critical Paul has been towards UFC fighter pay. He was asked about the possibility of Ngannou vs. UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones happening, but claims White is too afraid to make it happen.
“Well I think Dana’s scared to make it happen,” Paul said after the PFL press conference. “I think he doesn’t want to lose his horse in Jon Jones. I love Jon Jones, but that’s too much of a risk for Dana to take. Francis is one of the baddest, if not the baddest man on the planet. So I think Dana’s scared. I don’t think he would want to do that. But the MMA fans want that. Doesn’t everyone want that? But Dana never does anything for the fans.”
White and Ngannou have different versions of the story. White says Ngannou left the UFC because he didn’t want to fight Jones, but Ngannou insists he was the one pushing for the fight to happen. Either way, White has never been one for co-promoting, making the fight unlikely to happen.
Paul sees Ngannou as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” and Ferreira with an opportunity to take that crown in October.
“Well, yeah of course,” Paul said. “That would be first of all a massive upset. Obviously, that could happen in combat sports. That’s what makes this fight exciting is Ferreira being an insane competitor – but he would become the man. He would become the greatest heavyweight in MMA. But currently as it stands, Francis Ngannou is the man to beat.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.