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Jake Paul has claimed that Vitor Belfort has been “begging” to fight him since 2017.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Jake Paul opened up on Belfort and Triller’s recent $30 million call-out. Paul said:
“It just seems a little bit desperate with like, them getting Vitor to call me out. It’s like clout-chasing. This guy has been in my DMs since 2017, you know, begging for a fight. And then, I’m sitting at Ohio State NCAA championship football game."
"And he’s like, in the stands; comes running up to me with his son. His son asks for a picture. And he’s like, sitting there and looking at me, like, kind of mad. And I’m like, ‘What’s going on, sir? Is everything okay?’”
Paul continued:
“And he wouldn’t leave. And he said, ‘Do you recognize me?’ And just out of respect I said, ‘You look kind of familiar’. And he’s like, ‘I’m Vitor Belfort. You know, I’ve been thinking about it…’ And he starts to go on this five-minute pitch about why we should fight. And I’m like, ‘Dude, like, I’m watching a football game. Like, please leave me alone, old man’. And since that day, he’s been obsessed with this idea of fighting me.”
Jake Paul feels Vitor Belfort disrespected boxing and that Triller cannot pay him $30 million
Jake Paul criticized the 44-year-old Vitor Belfort for fighting Evander Holyfield. He believes Belfort "disrespected the sport of boxing”. Paul opined that Evander Holyfield, 58, is a boxing legend, but he shouldn’t have fought someone like Vitor Belfort who’s much younger than Holyfield.
Moreover, Jake Paul indicated that he has worked with Triller in the past, and knows that they won’t be able to pay him $30 million. Paul, though, added that putting forth the offer in public was a smart move by them. He noted that making him the offer has helped Triller and Belfort get a lot of clout.
The YouTube megastar explained that he’s in talks to face bigger names than Vitor Belfort. Paul also said that Belfort isn’t even as big a name as the former's previous opponent, Tyron Woodley. Paul said that Woodley is a much better fighter than Belfort, and that the latter is on steroids.
Nevertheless, Jake Paul admitted that if a Belfort fight makes sense from a financial perspective, he’ll take the fight. Paul is currently under contract with Showtime. He hailed them for being flexible and understanding the dynamics of the boxing landscape.
Furthermore, Paul suggested that he’d persuade Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza to make the Belfort fight if it’s lucrative from a business standpoint.
Jake Paul also clarified that he holds no ill will towards Triller, and parted ways with them on good terms. Paul is of the view that Triller is a new company, and that they’re still learning and evolving.
