Photo by UFC / YouTube
- UFC President Dana White is confident Ben Askren beats Jake Paul in a boxing match April 17.
- He even said he'd bet $1 million that the former MMA champion wins next month.
- Paul then challenged White to double the stakes, and said he'd fight the UFC boss later in the year.
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The UFC President Dana White wants to bet $1 million that a former UFC fighter Ben Askren, an MMA champion in Bellator and One Championship, beats YouTube celebrity Jake Paul in an April 17 boxing match.
"Let's be honest, Jake Paul is not a f—— boxer," said White on the Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast. "This guy's a f—— YouTube kid.
"The kid he's going to fight is a wrestler, a real decorated wrestler, but he's actually fought real guys. He's been a world champion in other organizations."
The crossover bout, the latest installment in showbiz boxing, a separate entity to professional boxing, occurs at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and will be a pay-per-view event.
Paul trolled many fighters after advancing his pro boxing record to two wins (two knockouts) following a brutal finish against Nate Robinson in November 2020 and currently has his crosshairs on Askren ahead of their showdown.
The UFC welterweight Leon Edwards said at a virtual media roundtable event that Insider attended recently that it will be a humiliating but hilarious day if Paul beats Askren.
But White appears to be so confident that Askren will win, he's willing to wager seven figures on his success.
"I hope you can bet on this thing because I'll f------ bet a million dollars that [Paul] loses this f------ fight," said White. "A million dollars that he loses this fight."
It was not long before Paul became aware of White's comments and challenged the UFC boss to up his stakes if he was so confident.
"Dana let's double the bet," Paul tweeted. "$2 million!"
He added: "We wire the money into escrow. $4 million total. Winner takes all. My team will be in touch to make a contract. After I knockout Ben, we can set up Jake Paul vs. Dana White."
-Jake Paul (@jakepaul) March 11, 2021