Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker is one of the most down to Earth fighters you’ll ever meet. He’s currently preparing to face Israel Adesanya for the second time on February 12th in order to reacquire the Middleweight UFC title.
But Whittaker is also wide awake and watching UFC president Dana White get owner in a social media beef by an average boxer and way above average marketing man Jake Paul.
Dana White may have bitten off more than he can chew with Paul – because Paul has a lot of media reach and is not burdened by UFC’s far reaching contracts like all of UFC fighters.
Paul has been vocal in wanting fighters to receive better pay – and he’d preferably like healthcare to be included. To those unfamiliar with the UFC this might seem obvious however UFC doesn’t really cover Fighter’s healthcare. They seem to be covering only injuries that happen during the fight. And even that is sometimes questionable.
As par for the course, UFC also has complete access to fighter’s medical records which they also utilize when they’re deciding whether to cut a fighter or extend their contract. Just this past year they cut a fighter immediately after receiving a debilitating injury in the cage.
Rob Whittaker recently backed up Paul saying (via Mirror):
‘It’s hard to say, all the chips are in the company’s playing field. I would certainly love some healthcare.’
‘I would love that long term post-fighting career security and I’m sure every fighter would. I would like different things to change.’
But Whittaker is also levelheaded – he doesn’t believe that this social media beef is the real deal:
‘I’m sure they’re just using each other’s names to bounce things around.
‘It’s all looking for paydays and it’s all looking for money, at the end of the day that’s what’s moving the pieces of Dana and Jake Paul, I imagine.’