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Luke Rockhold thinks Jake Paul has positively impacted the world of combat sports by setting up crossover boxing matches against celebrities. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on MMA Hour, Rockhold said 'The Problem Child' is bringing a lot of attention to fighting.
"This kid Jake Paul is bringing a lot of attention to fighting and I think it is helping. And a lot of other fights too, everyone else too. I mean all this whole celebrity world is just trying to be a fighter. It's kind of funny, kind of cool, and kind of stupid, all at the same time. Everyone's trying to get paid to fight. Everyone loses a little bit of relevancy in their career and they are like 'Oh, I'm going to fight'. Sometimes people need to stay in the lane but at the same time it is cool because it is bringing a lot of popularity and awareness to the sport," Luke Rockhold said.
Paul has already fought two MMA fighters, a basketball player and a fellow YouTuber inside the squared circle.
Rockhold is all for the latest trend of celebrities stepping inside the boxing ring. He sees it as a good thing for the sport in the long run.
Watch Rockhold's interview with Ariel Helwani below:
Luke Rockhold explains why celebrities prefer boxing over MMA
According to Luke Rockhold, celebrities prefer boxing over MMA. He opines that this is because MMA is a riskier sport. He also points out that celebrities would get paid considerably less to compete inside the cage than in the boxing ring.
Rockhold also said that celebrities aren't truly fighters at heart, and it's expected that they prefer boxing over MMA.
"Boxing is a much more lucrative business. You get a what's it called, a Muhammad Ali act...promoters can bid to the fighters. Not just monopolized by who dictates what you get paid. They get 60-80 percent of the revenue whereas we are taking 16 percent. Most other sports are taking 50 percent of the revenue...Why would you fight a much more dangerous sport and not get paid as much?"
