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Dana White has reacted to Francis Ngannou's fighter pay tweet. The UFC president asserted that Ngannou should've been a child YouTube star, and perhaps that would have helped 'The Predator' earn more money.
The combat sports world recently witnessed one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2021 come to fruition. Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced YouTube megastar Logan Paul in an eight-round exhibition boxing match. The fight went the distance. As agreed upon before the fight, no official winner was announced.
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou tweeted the following statement regarding Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul earning millions of dollars for their exhibition boxing match:
“It's crazy to think that Logan Paul (0-1) just made $20M on a boxing exhibition. WHAT ARE WE DOING WRONG?”
Ngannou is one of many UFC fighters, including MMA legend and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who’ve expressed their desire to receive better fighter pay in the promotion.
During an appearance on Submission Radio, Dana White was asked about Jon Jones recently hiring veteran boxing manager Richard Schaefer as his advisor. Submission Radio’s Kacper Rosolowski questioned Dana White about how different it is to deal with Schaefer as opposed to dealing with Jones on social media. Dana White responded by laughing and stating:
“They’re both fine. Yeah, no, listen. I have a long relationship with Richard. He’s a good guy. He’s a smart guy. You know, Jon came out and said he doesn’t want to fight until next year. So, there’s nothing to worry about right now. Listen, when the guy wants to come back and fight, he can come back and fight. If he wants to, you know; Jon Jones is under contract. It’s up to Jon whether Jon wants to fight or not.”
Additionally, Submission Radio's Denis Shkuratov lightheartedly suggested that it'd be easier to deal with Richard Schaefer as he doesn't put up tweets and delete them like Jon Jones often does. Dana White replied by saying:
“Listen, I’m used to all this nutty sh** with these guys, man. It’s crazy. You know, this YouTube kid fights, and they all start going crazy.”
Dana White proceeded to address the recent fighter pay grievances that were publicly asserted by Francis Ngannou and a few other UFC fighters. White said:
“And, you know, ‘What am I doing wrong?' Well, you should’ve started a YouTube channel when you were 12 years old. Then, you’d be YouTube famous right now, and you could be boxing Floyd Mayweather, I guess. I guess that’s the answer.”
(*Video courtesy: Submission Radio; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Watch the full interview with Dana White below:
Dana White alluded to the fact that the Paul brothers built their brand as child YouTube stars and subsequently solidified themselves amongst the top social media influencers in the world over the past few years.
On that note, Dana White insinuated that their brand value and popularity as YouTube stars helped them procure big money fights, such as the boxing match against Mayweather.
Dana White’s statements suggest that Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones isn’t happening anytime soon
Dana White emphasized that Jon Jones has revealed he will not fight this year and will return next year (2022). Jones had previously taken to Twitter to note that he would return to the octagon in 2022.
This, in turn, would mean that the dream matchup between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones isn't likely to happen anytime soon. 'The Predator' was expected to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Jones this year.
Nevertheless, Jon Jones' ongoing dispute with the UFC over his remuneration for the fight has resulted in a stalemate. With 'Bones' willing to sit on the sidelines until his fighter pay dispute with the UFC is settled, the promotion is currently looking to book Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis for this summer.
