Jake Paul canceled his August 6 fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. after saying that Rahman Jr. failed to reach the agreed weight for the match at Madison Square Garden. UFC president Dana White isn’t so sure.
In response to the news that Paul vs. Rahman Jr. was canceled, White hinted that the lack of interest in the event was a much bigger problem than anything related to the fighters.
“I think they sold under a million dollars in tickets and it costs $500,000 to turn on the lights at MSG,” White said at the UFC 277 post-fight press conference. “I think so.
“Not to mention the hotel rooms in New York, transportation and everything else is very expensive.”
Paul was headlining the card against Rahman Jr. after his original opponent Tommy Fury failed to get permission to travel to the U.S. The fight with the son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman was canceled after Paul’s team said Rahman- Jr. cannot drop to 205 pounds — after the match was originally scheduled to take place at 200 pounds. When Rahman Jr. claimed to have asked for a discount of 215 pounds, the bout was abandoned.
As much as White believes poor ticket sales played a role in the event’s cancellation, he still doesn’t wish Paul or Rahman Jr. any ill will.
“I’m not going to sit here and gloat or gloat that their fight fell through,” White said. “I’m sure both guys have put in a lot of hard work and a lot of training to get ready for this fight, they’ve spent money to get ready for this fight.”
While the UFC president rarely has a kind word when Paul is involved, he didn’t take a direct shot at him on Saturday. Instead, he criticized Paul’s choice in business partners.
“I will say this, just because you were an accountant here doesn’t mean you know what the hell is going on here,” White said, referring to Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian, who previously served as the UFC’s chief financial officer. “That doesn’t mean you can run a fight promotion company.”
Paul counts Bidarian as an advisor and business partner as co-owner of Most Valuable Promotions, the company that also manages women’s boxing champion Amanda Serrano, who was previously scheduled to compete on the same August 6 card.
After what unfolded with the fight against Rahman Jr. and the entire event was canceled, White offered Paul some specific advice regarding his fighting career.
“I think Jake Paul probably needs to get different people around him,” White said. “If he wants to stay in the sport, he needs to be with guys who really know how to set up fights.”
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