Dana White Praises Jake Paul's Guts vs Anthony Joshua

Dana White says Jake Paul earned his respect by actually going through with a fight against Anthony Joshua, even though the UFC boss still wants nothing to do with promoting him.

White, no stranger to public feuds with Paul, admitted on the "Plan Bri Uncut" show that he did not expect the December fight to happen at all given the mismatch on paper. Paul lasted five rounds with the former unified heavyweight champion before getting knocked out in the sixth, an outcome that left him with a broken jaw.

"I literally didn't think that was going to happen," White said. "And I said, when you go in there and box a guy like AJ, this isn't a joke. This isn't a game. That could kill him. And look, he literally broke his face. It was a ballsy move getting in there with Anthony Joshua."

Does Dana White Have Any Interest in Signing Jake Paul?

No. White made clear the compliment stops at respect for Paul's willingness to fight, not any interest in bringing him into Zuffa Boxing. Asked directly about it, he shut the door fast.

"No. That's not what I do," White said. "There's obviously a market for that, but that's not what I do. I put the best fighters in the world against each other. From the minute that they get into the sport, all the way up to world champion, the best fight the best. There's always going to be a place for the Paul brother type fights, but that's not what I do."

White's stance draws a clean line between his Zuffa Boxing project, built around ranked-style matchmaking, and the celebrity-driven crossover model Paul has used to build his career. It is a distinction White has made before, but hearing him praise Paul's willingness to take real risk and still rule him out in the same breath says a lot about how the UFC boss views the two ends of the boxing business.

What's Next for Jake Paul?

Paul is still recovering from the broken jaw and has no confirmed date for his next fight. He is not exactly idle, though. Most Valuable Promotions, the outfit Paul co-founded, recently announced a merger with the PFL, giving him a hand in the business side of combat sports while he heals up.

For bettors, the Joshua result already reset how sportsbooks and oddsmakers will price any future Paul fight against a real boxer. A six-round knockout loss to a former heavyweight champion confirms what skeptics argued, that Paul's ceiling against legitimate opposition is limited, and it should push his price back toward underdog territory anytime he steps in with another credentialed pro rather than an influencer or aging MMA crossover name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Dana White say anything positive about Jake Paul?

Yes, Dana White called Jake Paul's decision to fight Anthony Joshua a 'ballsy move' and said he respects that Paul actually went through with it after breaking his jaw in the sixth round.

Will Dana White ever sign Jake Paul to Zuffa Boxing?

No, White said flatly that promoting Jake Paul style crossover fights 'is not what I do,' explaining that Zuffa Boxing is built around matching the best fighters against each other.

What happened in the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight?

Jake Paul lasted five rounds against former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in December before getting knocked out in the sixth round, suffering a broken jaw in multiple places.