- Jake Paul supports Tony Ferguson’s message about fighter pay
- Paul believes Dana White is not fair with his sharing of profits with the fighters
Just a few days before Tony Ferguson takes on Michael Chandler, ‘El Cucuy’ surprised many at the UFC 274 media day. Ferguson put the UFC and Dana White on blast as he likened the promotion’s president to a “drug dealer”. Speaking about how the athletes are not getting paid what they deserve he found a likely ally in Jake Paul.
Jake Paul sends a message of support
YouTube sensation Jake Paul has been swimming in the cold waters of combat sports in the last few years. As a controversial figure, Paul has tried to make good with the audience he has. He’s continuously poked the wrath of UFC president Dana White and has made his intentions to improve fighter pay clear.
When Paul found out about Ferguson’s harsh criticism of the company, ‘The Problem Child’ took to Twitter to send a message of support.
Don’t listen to me, listen to a UFC fighter, @tonyfergusonXT, who has the courage to speak up. Dana White is a billionaire while fighters are itching and clawing to make ends meet. “Dana White the drug dealer.” pic.twitter.com/fyYb4COwQZ
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 4, 2022
“Don’t listen to me, listen to a UFC fighter, @tonyfergusonXT, who has the courage to speak up. Dana White is a billionaire while fighters are itching and clawing to make ends meet. ‘Dana White the drug dealer.’”
While most fans in the community share divided opinions on Paul, the Ohio native has been helping fighters in their time of need. He aided Sarah Alpar’s fight camp and co-promoted the biggest fight in women’s boxing history between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.
Ferguson joins the club of fighters speaking out
Tony Ferguson is considered to be one of the best fighters to grace the octagon. Having a big-name athlete speak out against your brand can be worrying for most but not for UFC it seems. Ferguson’s complaints regarding the fairness of fighter pay add him to the list of fighters speaking out against the promotion.
Along with the 38-year-old Oxnard native, UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou has been in a bitter feud with the promotion over the last few months. Another big-name fighter who’s not holding back is Jon Jones, considered to be the greatest of all time even by Dana White.
Jones and Ngannou have voiced their opinions about receiving over $1 million at the very least for their fights given the profits the company has been able to generate.
