“UFC hasn’t been cooperative” – SHOWTIME President subtly agrees with Jake Paul saying that Dana White is trying to sabotage the PPV sales of Paul vs Silva

“UFC hasn’t been cooperative” – SHOWTIME President subtly agrees with Jake Paul saying that Dana White is trying to sabotage the PPV sales of Paul vs Silva

Stephen Espinoza (L), Dana White (R); The poster for the Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva fight (C)

The Anderson Silva Vs Jake Paul fight is right around the corner, and it seems like tensions are flying high, among other things.

It is a known fact that Jake Paul and Dana White are not exactly friends, with the two clashing over everything, from fighter pay, to even the former’s legitimacy as a boxer. Recently, Jake Paul also posted a tweet that threw some light onto what he thinks is a dirty game Dana White is playing – that is, trying to tarnish his upcoming PPV. The tweet below addresses this.

YouTube video

Now, Stephen Espinoza, president of SHOWTIME, the promotion that is putting up the Anderson Silva and Jake Paul fight, has come forward agreeing with Paul. He said, “UFC hasn’t been cooperative in giving access to fight footage — usually that’s a courtesy that’s given without that much controversy.”

FS Video

He continued, “Here we didn’t get that. It didn’t affect our promotion, it would have been nice to be able use some of his old fight footage. I’m sure Anderson would have appreciated being able to get access to his old fights.”

Related- WATCH: Jake Paul rides on A HORSE as he arrives at his open workout in true warrior fashion

Stephen Espinoza also addressed this specific fact about the UFC 280 press conference

Dana White at the UFC 280 presser
Dana White at the UFC 280 presser

Ever since Jake Paul has forayed into the limelight, Dana White has been absolutely flooded with questions about the ex-Disney star in the post fight conferences for UFC events. However, this wasn’t the case in the most recent press conference – the one hosted in Abu Dhabi, for UFC 280.

Espinoza had this to say about it – “My assumption would be — perhaps incorrect, perhaps correct — that everyone was instructed not to ask about it. I doubt it’s because no one is interested. When they asked about it event after event before this one, and then this one there are no questions on it.”

Also Read- Anderson Silva reveals his most-priced possession ahead of Jake Paul fight – His 6000 Toys

A still from a music video Jake Paul (R) posted, where he seemingly tries to choke out an actor posing as Dana White
A still from a music video Jake Paul (R) posted, where he seemingly tries to choke out an actor posing as Dana White

If you didn’t know, Espinoza and White have collaborated in the past. In 2017, SHOWTIME and the UFC came together to jointly promote the multi-million dollar Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight. As a result of the hype, press conferences were held in London, Toronto and New York. Subsequently, the fight became the second-biggest PPV of all time.

While McGregor and Espinoza traded jabs, there were none that were exchanged between him and Dana White. So, it doesn’t seem like it is a SHOWTIME problem.

Conor McGregor (R) and Floyd Mayweather (L) separated by Dana White (C) in 2017
Conor McGregor (R) and Floyd Mayweather (L) are separated by Dana White (C) in 2017

The main issue Dana White has with Jake Paul is his lambasting of the promoter over fight pay. Although Paul has not stirred up White in the past couple of months, we feel something is definitely in the offing.

Also Read- WATCH: Jake Paul and Anderson Silva have INSANE dance-off ahead of their anticipated boxing match