By YouTube star and boxing spectacle specialist Jake Paul has continued his war of words with the UFC and Dana White over the issue of fighter pay, this time offering to back up his talk with an all-or-nothing wager against former two-division champion Conor McGregor. Speaking with TMZ Sports, Paul proposed a mixed martial arts bout under the UFC banner, wagering his fight purse against a raise in the value of UFC minimum contracts. The value provided by a Pay-Per-View headlined by the bout would likely generate enough revenue to more than cover a modest raise in entry-level contracts for many years to come in the highly unlikely event of a Paul victory.
Despite the potential value on offer, the UFC is generally hesitant to engage in any discussion of increases to fighter compensation, which owner WME IMG views as a significant threat to its profit margin. Even if Paul were to get acceptance from both McGregor and the UFC, it may prove a challenge for the UFC to find a commission willing to sanction the fight without Paul first adding to his resume, as the risk of pairing a former champion mixed martial artist against a low-level boxer with no MMA experience may prove an insurmountable impasse without significant palm-greasing.
