UFC President Dana White appears unconcerned about Jake Paul`s upcoming boxing match against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., which is set to compete directly with UFC 317 on Saturday.
As International Fight Week wraps up with a pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, featuring Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for the lightweight championship, Paul is scheduled to box Chavez in Anaheim, California. Former UFC champion Holly Holm is also featured on Paul`s card, marking her return to boxing for the first time in over 12 years.
While the UFC has faced scheduling conflicts with other combat sports before, White admitted he was unaware Paul was even fighting when questioned about the date clash.
“Oh really? I didn`t even know that,” White reportedly stated, adding, “I didn`t even know he was fighting, so that shows my level of concern.”
He expressed similar unawareness regarding Holm booking her first fight since requesting her release from the UFC.
The former bantamweight champion was granted her release, allowing her to become a free agent, despite having fights remaining on her contract.
Holm had initially signed with the Global Fight League (GFL) and was expected to compete on their debut shows, but those events were cancelled, suggesting the GFL failed before launching any events.
She is now returning to professional boxing, where she is a Hall of Famer with a remarkable 33-2-3 record and multiple division titles.
“Oh, no kidding?” White commented when asked about Holm`s return to boxing.
Despite his apparent lack of information about the event or the inclusion of a former UFC champion, White did mention he found it “interesting” that the former YouTuber turned boxer was stepping into the ring against a recognized opponent like Chavez.
However, Chavez is 39 years old and holds a 2-1 record in his last three fights dating back to 2021. Notably, two of those bouts were against MMA fighters: a win against Uriah Hall via a lackluster decision and a loss to Anderson Silva.
