'I Would Never Say Never': Dana White Backflips On Jake Paul's Future In The UFC

Despite all the trash-talking and beef between the two of them, Dana White ha seemingly backflipped and is now refusing to rule out handing Jake Paul an opportunity in the UFC.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul has been firing shots at White for what seems like years now, calling the UFC president virtually every name under the sun.

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Yet White, a man widely regarded as one of the greatest combat sports promoters in history, clearly sees the value in someone like Paul and is willing to put his bad blood aside.

"At the end of the day, the kid wants to fight here. He doesn't want to fight here because he doesn't believe we pay guys. He wants to fight here because this is where the money is, regardless of what he says," White said on The Pivot Podcast.

"I would never say never.

"I don't know. I look at it sometimes and it's kind of intriguing, but it 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 a couple of WWE guys and 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."

A few months back, Paul tabled an offer to White which got people talking.

In the deal Paul, promised to essentially retire from his boxing career in return for a a one-fight UFC deal as well as better fighter pay for athletes on White's books.

By all accounts, Paul is genuinely passionate about improving the salaries of mixed martial artists - although the UFC boss isn't buying it.

"Jake is the exact opposite of (Logan Paul)," White added.

"He likes to stir s**t up, butt heads, and all that stuff. It's attention 101. It's textbook how to get attention.

"I just take it for what it is. And the media like to print it - not the real media, the goofy internet guys - they like to use what he says because they're looking for clicks. But at the end of the day, that kid wants to fight here. He doesn't want to fight here because he doesn't think we really don't pay guys, he wants to fight here because he knows this is where the money is regardless of what he says."

Topics: Jake Paul, UFC, Australia, MMA, Dana White

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry