Jake Paul is never shy from his reprimand of the UFC and Dana White, and his latest angle of slack towards the promotion is the recent James Krause controversy.
‘The Problem Child’ has become the biggest celebrity boxer to emerge in the past two years, with a resume that includes victories against Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and even Anderson Silva.
However, there have been many speculations from the combat sports sphere about Paul’s fights being rigged, as eyebrows have been raised at how the YouTuber-turned-boxer is prevailing over seasoned MMA veterans.
On the other hand, Paul has continuous strife with the UFC and its president, Dana White, and has gone back and forth in verbal clashes over the years. And with the promotion now on the headlines themselves for the James Krause case, Paul took to Twitter to launch his own jibe at White, as well as Colby Covington.
“Remember when Dana White and UFC fighters like Colby Cunnington tried to claim my Askren KO was rigged…Ironic isn’t it that the Ontario Gaming Commission believe UFC insiders are rigging fights,” tweeted Paul.
Remember when Dana White and UFC fighters like Colby Cunnington tried to claim my Askren KO was rigged…Ironic isn’t it that the Ontario Gaming Commission believe UFC insiders are rigging fights. https://t.co/ojgniWwldA
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 2, 2022
The controversy started with the recent UFC Vegas 64 featherweight fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on 5th November. The odds before the fight started off with Minner’s favour but slowly shifted towards Nuerdanbieke as the fight date neared closer. It was rumoured that Minner, who suffered a 67-second TKO loss, carried an undisclosed injury into the fight.
Since then, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) slapping a complete ban on any type of wager on the promotion’s fights, as well as James Krause, the former UFC welterweight who currently trains Minner, has also come under scrutiny, with the UFC announcing that any fighter from Glory MMA or training under Krause will not be allowed to fight at any UFC event.
“On November 18, the Nevada State Athletic Commission informed UFC and Minner’s coach, James Krause, that Krause’s license was suspended and would remain so while NSAC conducted an investigation into the matter. UFC has since advised Krause and the respective managers working with impacted fighters, that effective immediately, fighters who choose to continue to be coached by Krause or who continue to train in his gym, will not be permitted to participate in UFC events pending the outcome of the aforementioned government investigations. Further, UFC has released Darrick Minner from the organization,” the UFC statement on Krause reads.
“Along with the safety and health of its fighters, UFC believes there is no more important component of professional mixed martial arts than the integrity of the sport. Weeks prior to the Minner fight, the organization sent formal notification to all fighters and members of their teams that they and certain other defined “insiders” were prohibited from wagering on UFC events. This was an extension of UFC’s pre-existing (and since updated) fighter Code of Conduct as well as a recognition of various state, federal, and international laws and regulations expressly prohibiting conduct that threatens the integrity of the sport including, but not limited to, insider betting based on non-public information, fight-fixing, and other such misconduct. UFC will continue to take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure compliance with and enforcement of its policies and those of the jurisdictions in which it operates.”