We’re a little over a month away from Logan Paul’s boxing match with undefeated former champion Floyd Mayweather, and the possible consequences are finally starting to sink in for the controversial YouTube star. Not the possible consequences of getting in the ring with a professional boxer who beat most of the best fighters of his generation. What he’s worried about are the possible consequences of his brother pissing off Dana White because he’s a huge UFC fan who always wanted to get in the Octagon and now Dana White thinks they’re both idiots.
Logan Paul made the comments about Dana White, his brother Jake Paul and his lack of a UFC future during a recent episode of his Impaulsive podcast. He says they’re getting lumped in together, and he’s not happy about that because he has respect for the UFC. Here’s a portion of his quote…
Another thing I don’t like about it besides everything is he pissed off Dana White, and now Dana has grouped us together, which sucks, which sucks. Bro, I love Dana White. I love the UFC, and now Dana is mad at me because he thinks we’re the same person… We’re so different. I love the UFC fights. I want to do a UFC fight one day. I’m not saying now. Let me get my skills up… I’m not Jake. Please. He’s given me tickets to go to a UFC fight before.
The Paul Brothers have taken boxing by storm. They’ve generated tons of headlines and their fights have grossed millions of dollars. Jake Paul’s knockout of Nate Robinson on the undercard of the recent Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr fight was a really buzzed moment that crossed over beyond traditional boxing fans. To some, that’s a huge win for combat sports, but to others, like Dana White, it’s ultimately a sideshow. He’s repeatedly said Jake Paul, despite his best efforts, won’t be fighting former UFC champion Conor McGregor, and lately his comments have turned even more dismissive.
Say what you will about the Paul Brothers, but good or bad, they do not wait their turn. They jump into whatever they’re doing with tons of trash talk and they cut in line, or at least some people see their efforts as cutting in line. Think about it this way. There are fighters who spend decades training and slowly rising the ranks to eventually try to get a title shot or even one legitimate fight that makes money. Logan Paul has never won a boxing match and he’s getting a shot at Floyd Mayweather, who many consider one of the best fighters of all-time.
Conversely, however, there’s a strong case that could be made that their efforts in boxing are good for everyone. Ultimately what people want is more interest in boxing and larger purses. The Paul Brothers are bringing a lot of eyeballs to boxing right now (and a lot of money), and assumedly, some of those people are going to become actual boxing fans. In addition, the huge monetary success of the Paul/ Robinson and Tyson/ Jones card could provide a possible path forward for other pay per views. It attracted a ton of interest because it brought buyers who were interested in watching Mike Tyson and it brought a totally separate group of buyers who were interested in Jake Paul. Maybe we need more of these mixed cards, although contrary to what Logan Paul wants, I doubt any will include Chris Hemsworth.
Regardless, what Logan Paul needs to be focusing on right now is his fight with Floyd Mayweather. He doesn’t need to win. No one expects him to win (including his own brother), but for his own future in combat sports, it would behoove him to at least look decent so he can continue to set up more fights. People aren’t going to pay to watch someone lose over and over and over again, no matter how good they are at the hype machine.
