Rapper Snoop Dogg was quick to remind UFC president Dana White to "pay up" immediately after YouTuber Jake Paul shocked the combat sports world by knocking out MMA veteran Ben Askren on the 17 April. White, has been subject to copious trolling by Snoop dogg's fans since the bout and has vehemently denied ever even placing a bet.
So How did Snoop Dogg and Dana White get here?
Prior to the boxing bout, organized by Triller Fight Club, partly owned by Snoop Dogg, Dana made an appearance on Mike Tyson's podcast "Hotboxin" where he suggested that he'd bet a million dollars on Askren to win.
Dana's bold statement was immediately addressed by Snoop Dogg in an interview with TMZ, essentially upping the ante.
“Hey Dana White, I see you got faith in your boy right?! Going up against my guy Jake. You say you got a million?! You’re the CEO of UFC. You got more than a million. Put up TWO. Put up $2 million and we’ll match it,”
As it would play out luckily for Snoop Dogg, YouTuber Jake Paul viciously KO'd Ben Askren inside the first round, emerging victorious in dominant fashion. While speaking with Yahoo! Sports, White recalled being approachedwith a $2 million wager ahead of the fight, which he never accepted publicly, nor privately.
“Javier Mendez called me right after I did the Mike Tyson podcast – he’s the head coach at AKA – and he said these guys at Triller, they want to take that bet. ‘They want to bet you $2 million.’ I said, ‘It’s f–king illegal,’” White said.
“First of all, I’m not gonna make an illegal bet, No. 1. And No. 2, why would I bet them $1 million or $2 million when I could do it legally in Las Vegas and get 2-to-1 (odds)?”
Despite expressing his concern about the state of boxing and apparent distaste for Jake Paul, White gave Jake his due credit for stepping into the ring and winning the bout fair and square.
Also read - Who is Shamir Bolivar, Jake Paul's former bodyguard who just passed away?