January 29, 2020; Miami, FL, USA; Jake Paul steps on the scale to weigh in for his Matchroom Boxing USA bout at The Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, FL. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA
Jake Paul Invests in UFC, Takes Aim At Fighter Pay Issue
After months of haranguing UFC president Dana White, boxing’s bastard child, Jake Paul, has taken his mission to help fighters in the UFC get fair pay to the next level. In a tweet yesterday, Paul announced that he and a business partner have both invested in Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC. Check out the full tweet below:
I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner @geoffreywoo 2 focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters. We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare. Reaching out to @EngineNo_1 to partner on this “endeavor”
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 25, 2022
The tweet reads: “I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner @geoffreywoo 2 focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters. We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare. Reaching out to @EngineNo_1 to partner on this ‘endeavor'”
This is a big move from Jake Paul, who has been a thorn in Dana White’s side for over a year now. Paul has called for fair fighter pay for a long time and has reportedly attempted to lure heavyweight champion, Francis N’Gannou, away from the promotion to his boxing promotion to get the Cameroon native a fair pay day. Paul also stated that he is aiming to get heathcare for the fighters as well.
The move is actually quite a savvy business move on Paul’s part. If he truly cares about the well-being of fighters, Paul putting his money where his mouth is, quite literally, is a sign that he’s not going to stop until something is done for the fighter pay issue. Paul can’t do anything from the outside, but as a stakeholder in Endeavor, his voice has to be heard. It’s not currently known how much of a share Paul holds in Endeavor, but holding the stock can allow Paul some leverage with other shareholders to join his cause and provide proper pay for fighters.
Jake Paul And Fighter Pay
Since fighting Ben Askren in his third pro fight, Jake Paul has been on the topic of fighter pay for MMA fighters, specifically the UFC. He’s called time and time again for fair pay and even offered to step into the octagon to fight Jorge Masvidal to get him a fair payday as well.
Since the Askren fight, Paul has also defeated Tyron Woodley twice, last being by knockout. Woodley has also publicly stated that the two Paul fights were the biggest payday of his career. The move comes off the controversial fight week of UFC 270 where Francis N’Gannou, on the last fight of his contract, has been very vocal about wanting more money and wanting to box.
Stay posted to My MMA News for all the latest news on Jake Paul, fighter pay and more. Thanks for reading.
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In addition to covering news for boxing, Blaine Henry, the author, also analyzes fights from all combat sports across the globe.
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