UFC President Dana White appears unconcerned about UFC 317 potentially competing for viewership with the upcoming boxing event featuring Jake Paul against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday.
While Las Vegas hosts UFC 317`s main event – a lightweight championship bout between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira culminating International Fight Week – Jake Paul is set to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Anaheim, California. Notably, former UFC champion Holly Holm is also scheduled to compete on the same card, returning to boxing for the first time in over a decade after signing with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Although the UFC has faced competing combat sports events before, White admitted he was unaware Paul had a fight scheduled when asked about the potential conflict.
“Oh really? I didn`t even [explicit] know that,” White stated during an appearance at Fanatics Fest on Sunday. “I didn`t even know he was fighting so that`s how concerned I am about it.”
He expressed a similar lack of awareness regarding Holm booking her return to boxing after requesting her release from the UFC. The former bantamweight titleholder was granted her release to become a free agent despite still having fights remaining on her contract.
Holm had initially joined the Global Fight League and was expected to fight on their debut shows, but those events were cancelled, suggesting the GFL may fail to launch.
She is now returning to the sport where she is already a Hall of Famer, boasting an impressive 33-2-3 record with multiple divisional championships.
“Oh no way?” White reportedly responded when asked about Holm`s return to boxing.
Despite being largely uninformed about the specifics of the event or Holm`s participation, White did acknowledge finding it “interesting” that Paul, a former YouTuber, was stepping into the ring against Chavez, whom he considered a “legitimate opponent.”
However, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. enters the fight at 39 years old, with a 2-1 record in his last three bouts since 2021. Notably, two of those recent fights were against MMA fighters, resulting in a win over Uriah Hall (by lackluster decision) and a loss to Anderson Silva.
