Dana White slams ‘f****** YouTube kid’ Jake Paul and claims he’d bet $1m on Ben Askren beating him

UFC chief Dana White has savaged Jake Paul by calling him a ‘f****** YouTube kid’ and claiming he would bet $1million that he gets beaten by Ben Askren.

The YouTube-star-turned-professional-boxer is set to fight retired UFC welterweight and U.S. Olympic wrestler Askren in the ring on April 17 after failing in his attempts to goad Conor McGregor into a $50million showdown.

The 24-year-old, who most recently flew a banner over South Beach in Miami which said that McGregor was ‘scared’ of him in his pursuit of the UFC legend, is undefeated as a boxer, having knocked out fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib and former NBA star Nate Robinson in his only two fights.

UFC’s president White has been hugely skeptical of Paul’s abilities as a fighter and the pair have been involved in a back-and-forth feud for months, with the former recently saying that ‘no one gives a f*** about Jake’ and that he ‘can’t fight’ and is a ‘big gimmick’. 

And he laid into Paul once again on Mike Tyson’s HotBoxin’ show by insisting that he is not a ‘f****** boxer’ and talks a lot of s***’ during a conversation with former two-weight world champion Zab Judah, who has helped train him in the gym.

Speaking about Paul’s upcoming fight with Askren, White said: ‘Let’s be honest. Jake Paul is not a f****** boxer. This guy’s a f***** YouTube kid.’ 

Judah replied: ‘I’ve been watching him and he’s been working hard though Dana. He’s a good fighter. I’ve seen him put it together.’

Unconvinced, White riposted: ‘Zab, no bulls***. So you’re saying he can fight? So the kid he’s going to fight, Askren, he’s a wrestler. A real good, decorated wrestler. But he’s actually fought real guys. He’s been a world champion in other organisations than MMA.’

‘But it’s different Dana when you’re standing up and wrestling and letting your hands slide (in boxing). One thing I can say about him (Jake Paul) is that he’s got hands,’ Judah insisted. 

But White was having none of it, and claimed: ‘I’ll bet a million dollars he (Paul) loses this f***** fight. ‘

Paul’s fight with Askren will be an eight-round professional boxing fight and will take place under the Triller Fight Club banner as the main event.

Paul has talked about the possibility of money-spinning bouts with McGregor, Floyd Mayweather and Nate Diaz further down the line but ex-UFC contender Askren has vowed to ‘put his dream to an end’ when they meet.

After their fight was announced, he said: ‘I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter; I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like.’

But Paul, speaking to MailOnline last month, laughed on his rival’s insults and said: ‘Ben is the type of guy who thinks he’s hilarious and is his own biggest fan. He loves himself and there’s nothing wrong with that – but the guy’s pulling s*** out of his ass.

‘He is comparable to a grandma as a fighter and he looks like a middle-aged Dutch woman. The guy is delusional in my opinion. 

‘I’ve been fighting for everything I have my whole entire life. I’m one of the most polarising people in the world and overcoming that is not easy. It’s not easy being Jake Paul, you know? I’m more of a fighter than a lot of these guys.’