Jake Paul has congratulated Israel Adesanya for securing a new lucrative multi-fight deal with the UFC.
The exact value of Adesanya's contract hasn't been disclosed. However, Paul said he hopes the UFC middleweight king is getting at least $7 million per fight. 'The Problem Child' hopped on Twitter to send a message to 'The Last Stylebender', writing:
"Congrats to my guy @stylebender - excited for this weekend. My boy should be getting at least $7 million a fight as a champ of his stature and following globally…"
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Adesanya's new contract takes effect before his scheduled rematch with Robert Whittaker at Saturday's UFC 271 pay-per-view event. In a press release obtained by Sportskeeda MMA, the Kiwi's management team revealed that the champ has reached an agreement with the UFC after "several months of negotiation."
'The Last Stylebender' described his new contract as a "f***ing big deal." He added that he's now the second-highest-paid active fighter, presumably behind Conor McGregor.
Paul, meanwhile, has been very critical of the UFC's pay structure and has been an advocate of increasing fighters' compensation. With that in mind, the YouTube star appears to be pleased with the development.
Israel Adesanya talks about his value to the UFC
Israel Adesanya recently spoke about re-upping with the UFC. The Nigerian-born Kiwi stated that he deserved the huge bump given the value he brings to the company. During the UFC 271 media day press conference, Adesanya stated:
"You can't undersell my value. If you are, you're kidding yourself. I bring so many different looks to this company, even without trying. I'm Nigerian, I brought that whole nation. Me and the three kings, the continent of Africa is on our backs. I wear it on my chest. We have the Oceanian region looking at us. I'm a guy who crosses over to the mainstream so easily. I have this appeal. I know I have that 'it' thing."
The reigning champion added:
"So I'm glad the UFC is starting to see that. They've already known that. They knew this since the jump but, yeah, I'm just a guy who deals [about] what my deal is with the UFC behind the scenes. I'm glad we came to an agreement with this new deal and I look forward to this effect trickling down to the rest of the fighters."
Watch Israel Adesanya at the UFC 271 pre-fight media scrum below: