YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul made a bet with Anderson Silva ahead of their boxing match late last year. If Paul won – which he did – Silva would have to help Paul create an association to help MMA fighters bargain for improved working conditions. Many dismissed it as yet another shot in Paul’s ongoing war of words with UFC president Dana White, but Paul insisted that Silva would be a man of his word in a recent episode of The MMA Hour.
“I’m very confident it happens and Anderson will help.
Jake Paul Expects Anderson Silva to Join His Fighters’ Union
I think he’s a man of his word, and this is needed. It’s been needed for so long. Right now we’re talking with lawyers to get everything set up and figure out the structure and start to ideate on what this union looks like and how it will be operated.”
Generally speaking, fighters have been reluctant to join a union. It could be the inherent individualist mentality of a sport like fighting, or the relative monopoly the big promotions have over opportunities for professional mixed martial artists. Regardless, Paul believes he needs big names who are widely respected on board if his union is going to make a difference.
“I think that’s where people like Anderson Silva joining really helps, because they respect him. I think that fighters, regardless of if they hate me or love me, I’m trying to help them. They just should see that because I’m continuing to help fighters nonstop. They should see the things I’ve done for Amanda Serrano, the situation she was in.
I just want to help. So they can hate me, or not really even respect me, but we should be on the same team. That’s the whole point of this union — let’s band together and be strong as one. I might not even like a certain fighter that wants to be in the union, but it doesn’t matter. I’m putting my ego aside because this is going to benefit all of us.”
Jake Paul won’t be the first to try and form a fighter’s union. Even if he fails, however, he might just achieve what he’s been trying to achieve since the beginning, which is to disrupt Dana White’s hold on the UFC. Whether that’s good or bad for the sport, and for the athletes, remains unclear, but for now, the UFC is still the biggest promotion in the world of MMA.
Is Jake Paul right? Let us know in the comments.
