MMA News Roundup: Drake curse hits Jake Paul, ex-UFC champion reveals fighters take dives for money, Dana White claims he's saving slap fighting
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about the first loss of Jake Paul's career, Dana White's take on what he's doing for slap fighting, and more.
#3. Drake loses $400,000 on Jake Paul
Tommy Fury lived up to his family name and handed Jake Paul the first loss of his boxing career on Sunday. 'TNT' clinched a split decision in the match, edging Paul out with 74-75, 76-73, and 76-73 scorecards.
However, many are not ready to discount 'The Problem Child' just yet, given that he went the distance with a professional boxer and didn't get knocked out.
Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses. Congrats to Tommy, his team and his family. Thank you to everyone that tuned in. Saudi Arabia thank you as well. I will be back.
Singer-rapper Aubrey Drake Graham, better known just as Drake, had wagered $400,000 on Paul ahead of the fight. He has historically bet on athletes who went on to lose the contest, which has earned him quite the reputation of being unlucky for sports stars. The internet has named it the 'Drake curse'.
When asked to comment on the bet, Paul jokingly blamed Drake for his loss. He then went on to appreciate the musician and remind him that he has made money off Paul's wins before.
Numerous MMA fighters and boxers have fallen to the curse in the past, including Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather. However, some have managed to break it as well.
#2. Rampage Jackson says MMA fighters sometimes fake fights - but never in the UFC
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson claims that fights are often faked in MMA.
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, the former UFC light heavyweight champion stated that he knows incidents of fighters taking money in return for suffering a voluntary loss. However, he added confidently that this has never happened in the UFC.
"I know that there's been fake fights in MMA. I know that... No, I've never seen a fake fight in the UFC."
Jackson said yes when Van Vliet asked if he had witnessed said incidents in Pride FC:
"Say me and you fight and you say, 'Listen Rampage, I'm gonna give you $10 million to take a dive. I gotta look good though. I gotta really hit you.' ... Boxers do that all the time."
Watch the clip below:
In a viral tweet on Saturday, another former UFC fighter, Mike Perry, posted a picture of a draft that appeared to be a script for the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight.
But in addition to most acknowledging the likelihood that it was fake, the document claimed the fight would end in a TKO for Paul, while the YouTuber-turned-boxer succumbed to a split-decision loss.
#1. Dana White believes he's making slap fighting safer for fighters
Dana White's new venture Power Slap League has faced some serious criticism from fighters and experts over fighter safety. Many have said that the sport by design puts the fighters at risk of sustaining severe brain trauma.
However, Dana White believes he is not contributing to the problem but rather solving it. He pointed out that there has been no death in the UFC since he and the Fertitta brothers took over in 2001.
"Nobody has a better health and safety record than I do and we're gonna do the same thing [for PSL]. When we bring these guys in, we put them through a full, top-to-bottom medical testing before, during, and after the fight. When you do that, when you actually spend that money, it takes a lot - you can control the health and safety aspect... These guys were fighting in bars and basements and sh*t. No medical testing whatsoever and some of them were doing it for no money."
Watch the video below to catch White's comments: