Dana White thinks logistics issues are the real reason behind the cancelation of Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr.
Earlier today, Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced that the fight was off after Rahman Jr. decided to pull out due to weight mismanagement problems. However, the UFC president is convinced that MVP's explanation was just an excuse.
During the UFC 277 post-fight press conference, White was asked for his thoughts on the development. The UFC head honcho replied by posing a theory:
"I think they sold under a million dollars in tickets and it cost $500,000 to turn the f***ing lights on at MSG [Madison Square Garden]. That's what I think. Not to mention the fact that hotel rooms in New York, f***ing transportation, and everything else are very expensive."
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Paul was originally scheduled to face Tommy Fury on August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. However, the former Love Island star claimed that he was denied entry into the United States due to his family's alleged connection to suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan.
Rahman Jr. was announced as Fury's replacement, but ended up withdrawing from the fight as well.
Dana White says he's not celebrating Jake Paul's misfortunte
It's no secret that Dana White and Jake Paul are not on the greatest of terms. The two have been taking shots at each other on social media over the past several months.
Nonetheless, White said he wasn't happy with Paul's fight getting canceled. The UFC president acknowledged that the situation was unfortunate and even gave Paul free career advice:
"You know, I'm not gonna sit up here and be happy or gloat that their fight fell out. I mean, both of those guys – I'm sure – put in a lot of hard work, a lot of training to get ready for this fight. [They] spent money to get ready for this fight. But I will say this, just because you're an accountant here, doesn't mean you know what the f*** goes on here. And it doesn't mean that you can run a fight promotion company. I think Jake Paul probably needs to get some new people around him. If he's gonna stay in the sport, he needs to be with guys that actually really know how to put on fights."
Watch Dana White's full press conference interview: