Logan Paul seriously wanted to fight on the undercard at the Sphere for Noche UFC. Paul says UFC CEO Dana White ignored him, and he thinks he knows why.
On a recent episode of Paul’s podcast, Impaulsive, he discussed the relationship between his brother Jake Paul and UFC CEO Dana White, but he also made mention of his desire to fight in the UFC.
“I told Dana for UFC 300, I texted him, like, ‘Hey man, consider me available to fight on the undercard in the Sphere (Noche UFC),’” Paul said to his guest, current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. “He basically ignored me, which I think spoke volumes. I haven’t hit him about it since. But you know, I think for the right fight and the right amount of money… like, man, I’m an entertainer at the end of the day.”
Aspinall asked Paul if he followed the “CM Punk saga.”
“He f##### it up,” Paul said. “He f##### it up and Dana was like, ‘I’m never doing this again.’ But like, dude, I’m not CM Punk. He’s a great wrestler, but not a great UFC fighter. I think I would be a much better UFC fighter than I am a boxer.”
Here is a look at the entire episode.
For those who are unaware, CM Punk embarked on a side quest so massive that it might only be topped by the career Jake Paul has carved out for himself in boxing, or what Michael Jordan did from 1993–1995 when he retired from the NBA and pursued a career with Major League Baseball.
Punk stepped away from WWE and professional wrestling in 2014 while he healed up from a myriad of injuries. In December 2014, he signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and made his debut in the Octagon in September 2016 against Mickey Gall.
Gall quickly submitted Punk in the first round to hand the WWE legend the loss. Punk’s second fight happened in June 2018 when he lost via unanimous decision to Mike Jackson. The result of the fight was changed to a no contest when it was revealed Jackson tested positive for marijuana.
Yes, that is peculiar.
Nonetheless, Punk had two very unsuccessful, farcical moments in the Octagon, so there could be some credence to Paul’s thought that White wanted nothing else to do with a crossover fight from a WWE Superstar.
To add a little more interest to this story, Punk and Paul have been rivals here and there with the WWE, so the scripted friction spices things up a little.
As Aspinall mentioned, Paul is twice the athlete Punk is, and he’s significantly younger. Paul is 29, and Punk was 37 years old when he lost to Gall. Even with more athleticism and youth on his side, Paul knows he wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time necessary to contend or fight dedicated mixed martial artists.
As he mentioned, he would target people with similar or no MMA experience who also have a big name. Paul repeatedly said he is a full-time WWE Superstar and feels at home, but you could tell that if the right opportunity presented itself, he’d train and hop in the Octagon to check another box off his insane list of life accomplishments.
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