Dana White admits Jake Paul UFC fight “could happen” amid Conor McGregor rumors

UFC boss Dana White admits having Jake Paul fight inside the Octagon is “intriguing” as he won’t completely close the door on having the social media star make the jump into MMA. 

Even though Jake Paul has one eye on becoming a boxing great, and an eventual world champ, the YouTuber-turned-boxer has also made it clear that he wants to get involved with Mixed Martial Arts.

The 25-year-old who has a background in amateur wrestling, and has already proven his striking power inside the boxing ring, has spoken of his desire to step inside the Octagon previously. As a result, he’s had an ongoing war of words with UFC President Dana White.

While dana was reluctant to say whether or not he’d have Jake join the UFC ranks, at least for one fight, he has stated that he’d “never say never” given the fact that he promoted Conor McGregor’s boxing bout with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.

The 52-year-old joined The Pivot Podcast on May 3 when the topic of having the Paul brothers get involved with the UFC was brought up again, and Dana admitted that it is an interesting proposition.

• Read More: Jake Paul tipped to win MMA title by former UFC champ if he ditches boxing

“He wants to fight here because this is where the money is, regardless of what he says,” Dana said, referring to Jake’s ongoing campaign to improve fighter pay.

“I would never say never, I don’t know. I look at it sometimes and it’s kind of intriguing, but it kind of goes against what I do. I really do bring the best of the best in. And I’ve tried to do a couple of those celebrity things with some WWE guys. Some worked, some didn’t, but I wouldn’t say no. I did Mayweather-McGregor when I said I would never do it, so who knows.”

Timestamp of 42:40

As noted, Dana’s stance has continued to soften over time, with Jake even claiming that the UFC boss will eventually give his blessing and book him in a fight.

Right now, though, Jake’s focus is on a return to boxing as he’s getting back into the ring on August 13. Who he’ll take on is anyone’s guess at this point, however.