Dana White Accused of Warning UFC Fighters to Not Deal With Jake Paul

Nakisa Bidarian calls out UFC CEO Dana White for faking his reaction to the Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul fight announcement.

Dana White Accused of Warning UFC Fighters to Not Deal With Jake Paul

Dana White might be asking fighters not to work with Jake Paul (via The Independent)

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Dana White has long been known for a strict leadership style at the UFC, where he has enforced disciplinary decisions when fighters cross organizational lines. He has also consistently expressed an apparent dislike for Jake Paul throughout Paul’s rise in combat sports, repeatedly criticizing his ventures. This resurfaced after MVP partner Nakisa Bidarian recently addressed the situation.

Paul is scheduled to fight Anthony Joshua on December 19th at the Kaseya Center in Miami in a professional heavyweight bout. He has primarily competed at cruiserweight and has never taken on an opponent of Joshua’s size. The matchup marks his first sanctioned appearance in the heavyweight division. The fight is set for eight rounds under professional rules.

The decision to face Joshua left many observers surprised due to the drastic jump in size and experience. White reacted to the announcement, stating he was unaware that Paul had arranged such a matchup. He said he was shocked by the news when it became public. However, this reaction became a contrasting claim in Bidarian’s eyes, who called White out for lying about not knowing the Paul vs. Joshua matchup.

Dana White pays attention to every single thing that Jake Paul does whether wants to admit it or not. He pays attention to it so much that there’s fighters out there who have guidance from the UFC that ‘Hey, if you fight with MVP or if you fight Jake Paul, you’re not welcome here anymore. You can’t comeback and use the Performance Center or you won’t be considered for future fights.’

Nakisa Bidarian told Ariel Helwani

Bidarian previously served as UFC CFO before partnering with Paul to launch Most Valuable Promotions. He has described his work with MVP as a better overall experience compared to his UFC tenure. Bidarian has also criticized White for allegations related to Paul’s canceled 2022 fight with Hasim Rahman Jr. He claimed White falsely framed the cancellation as a ticket-sales issue.

Paul and White have consistently been at odds over multiple issues throughout Paul’s boxing career. ‘The Problem Child’ has challenged the UFC on fighter pay and healthcare, making those topics central to his criticism. The UFC CEO has pushed back by dismissing Paul’s claims and limiting his presence at UFC events. Paul has also been barred from attending UFC cards in recent years.

The stakes surrounding Paul’s next bout increased further because he was initially set to fight Gervonta Davis, who withdrew due to legal troubles. This led Paul to pivot to the heavyweight matchup with Joshua instead. The shift significantly raised the scale and risk of Paul’s next step in boxing. It also heightened the broader implications of his rivalry with Dana White and the direction of crossover combat sports.

Dana White asks for harsher penalties for eye poke fouls

The issue of eye pokes in the UFC returned to the spotlight after the controversy surrounding the UFC 321 heavyweight title fight. In that bout, a double eye poke from Ciryl Gane on champion Tom Aspinall resulted in a no-contest. The incident reignited debate over fighter safety and foul enforcement. The MMA community was widely divided over how the fight ended.

Dana White gets pissed at fans
Dana White gets pissed at fans (via MMA Mania)

Some critics argued that Aspinall should have continued, while others felt stopping was the safest option in a grueling title bout. The discussion intensified again at UFC Qatar when Ian Garry eye-poked Belal Muhammad multiple times during their three-round fight. These incidents raised concerns about recurring foul patterns, and Dana White recently addressed the broader implications of eye pokes.

Getting poked in the eye by anybody is not good,but we’ve messed around with gloves we have tried to do all these things. If there are harder penalties for doing it ,guys would be a lot more conscious of it.

Dana White via X

Following UFC 321, Herb Dean revealed that referees agreed to impose harsher point deductions for eye pokes after an internal officiating meeting. The focus will now be on earlier warnings and quicker penalization to prevent repeat fouls. This adjustment aims to reduce injury risks and maintain competitive fairness. Dana White has supported stronger measures as the UFC reassesses foul management.

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