Jake Paul has taken another dig at UFC president Dana White as their much-publicised feud over fighter pay continues.
The YouTuber has been campaigning for UFC fighters to be paid more for their matches, with several prominent names in the company backing him over the issue.
The latest heat point in their rivalry came on Friday. Paul released a ‘diss track’ aimed towards White, Conor McGregor and others.
We see plenty of content in the video aimed at promoting long-term health care and fighter pay. There are parts, though, where Paul just shouts ‘F*** Dana White” repeatedly down the microphone. The cover art for the track sees Paul wrapping a man in a sleeper hold.
The video itself has certainly got people talking. It has over 2 million views and 100,000 likes at the time of writing.
But something else has caught the YouTuber’s eye in recent days. Dana White was not present at UFC 270 to present the title belt to Francis Ngannou, as is customary for a champion. Paul has had something to say about it.
What happened between Dana White and Francis Ngannou?
At UFC 270, Ngannou pulled off one of the most significant victories in his career over Cyril Gane. Due to MCL and ACL injuries to his knee, the Cameroonian had to utilise wrestling skills that fans had never seen in such a major showdown.
The 34-year-old was understandably jubilant after the fight. However, UFC president White was not present in the ring to present him with his heavyweight title belt, as is the tradition in such situations.
Instead, the honour fell to Mick Maynard, who wrapped the title around Ngannou’s waist.
Dana White did explain his side of the story to ESPN on Wednesday, stating that there were issues backstage that meant he couldn’t make it to the Octagon.
He said: “I wasn’t out there for the main event. I actually walked from the arena right after the co-main event, because there was stuff going on backstage that I was dealing with.
“You know, for anybody that thinks I was showing any type of disrespect to Francis. I saw Francis all week, you idiots. I shook his hand, I said ‘hi’ to him, I was out there for the showdowns. The whole thing.”
Ngannou then revealed after the fight that he and his team had been sued by the UFC for speaking to Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, about boxing.
Jake Paul blasts Dana White over Ngannou belt snub
Predictably, one man who wasn’t appeased by White’s explanation about his UFC 270 absence was Paul himself.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, he claimed: “Dana White is too busy sending out lawsuit threats to his heavyweight champions minutes before they enter the cage to fight another man. I think he actually sent my partner [Nakisa Bidarian] the same thing at 9pm that night when Dana’s supposedly being president at his big PPV event for a public company.
“Imagine if [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver sent a lawsuit to Lebron James minutes before he took the floor for the NBA Finals, then refused to present him with the NBA championship trophy after he won.
“It’s pure disrespect to the athlete and the sport.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty