"I'll get behind a guy like Jake Paul " - Randy Couture willing to support 'The Problem Child' in his rift with the UFC
Randy Couture, a former UFC double champion, has claimed he is willing to back Jake Paul in his feud with the UFC.
Jake Paul has hit out at UFC president Dana White on numerous occasions for underpaying UFC fighters and failing to include health insurance in fighter contracts. Reacting to this, Couture, in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, claimed that he is willing to stand with Jake Paul in order to raise attention to the disparities in salary between boxing and mixed martial arts.
Couture also stated that fighters deserve a transparent marketplace so that they can figure out their value and negotiate accordingly. In recent times, according to the UFC double champion, MMA fighters have been unable to find such a platform.
Speaking about the issue on fighter pay in MMA, Randy Couture said:
"If it takes you know somebody who is gonna run their mouth do all these extra-curricular activities to poke Dana White and shine a light on the disparaging differences pay in boxing and pay in mixed martial arts, then I'll get behind a guy like Jake Paul...Fighters deserve a transparent market place where they can figure out what their value is in the marketplace and negotiate a fair deal and get their fair share, the revenues that come in from each and every event in our sport and that's not happening at this point."
Watch Randy Couture give his opinion on fighter compensation below:
Jake Paul admits he will continue to fight for UFC pay issue
Jake Paul has stated that he will continue to work for long-term health care and a salary raise for UFC fighters as long as he is able to.
Paul underlined in a brief interview with ESPN MMA that he will use everything at his disposal and that he will not stop until "there is change." Furthermore, the YouTube sensation-turned-pro boxer vowed that the fight would go on for as long as he lived.
Speaking about his determination to fight for the UFC fighters, Paul said:
“100%! It's an uphill battle. It's a long battle but we’re starting and we’re raising awareness and we're getting the conversation going and more and more people are speaking up about it," he continued. "I'm not saying I'm going to do this whole thing by myself but I'm not going to give up and I'm not going to stop until there is change because that's how this generation works, we get what we want with our voice and with our platform. It's a beautiful thing. We will see change and you will see the UFC pay their fighters more, you will see long-term health care before I die.”
Watch 'The Problem Child' talk about his vision for the UFC below:
Paul also recently invested in Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC. While 'The Problem Child' sees this as an important step in helping the fighters out, some don't believe that is the case.
I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner @geoffreywoo 2 focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters. We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare. Reaching out to @EngineNo_1 to partner on this “endeavor”