Conor McGregor branded a ‘hostage’ of Dana White by Jake Paul in social media rant

The intense feud between Jake Paul and Dana White continues after the pair hosted two of the biggest events of the year this weekend.

The social media star took on Mike Tyson on Friday night in Dallas, where more than 65 million households tuned in to watch live on Netflix. And 24 hours later, White hosted UFC 309, which pitted legendary duo Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic against each other at Madison Square Garden for the heavyweight title.

And while both events were monster hits, the battle was still palpable at each other's shows all week. No doubt, on their given nights, both were attuned to each other and had their own criticisms.

Jake Paul Claims Dana White Is Holding Conor McGregor 'Hostage'

After his fight with Mike Tyson became one of the biggest in boxing history, Jake Paul has been emboldened to make some big claims on social media. He's headed to X tonight to take on some of his rivals, including Artur Beterbiev and even his old friend Francis Ngannou.

His biggest problem appears to be with UFC boss Dana White, with whom he has had a long-standing feud. At the height of his battle against top MMA fighters, Paul even released a diss track on the promotional supremo, which racked up millions of views at the time.

Dana White has been a boxing promoter his entire career. All these nut riders need to do their research. His TV show failed. I couldn't sell 4K tickets in Dublin with that useless Irish boxer he's promoting. And he's not a fighter first and foremost. He's Dana first. Builds you up and tears you down… pic.twitter.com/3CBiseHLSS

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 17, 2024

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And he now claims White's most notable fighter, Conor McGregor, is a hostage to the promotion's restrictive contracts. The Irishman is one of the most famous athletes in the world, but has been unable to compete since breaking his leg in 2021, despite having been cleared for years.

“Dana White has been a boxing promoter his entire career,” Paul wrote on social media, referencing an old article from 2014 that reported on the quick cancellation of his The Ultimate Fighter spin-off The Fighters.

“All these nut drivers need to do their research. His TV show failed. I couldn't sell 4K tickets in Dublin with that useless Irish boxer he's promoting [Callum Walsh]. And he's not a fighter first and foremost. He's Dana first. Builds you up and breaks you down. Now Conor McGregor has been taken hostage. Free Conor.”

Conor McGregor and Dana White disagree over his UFC return

There appears to be a serious issue brewing between McGregor and the UFC over his plans for a return to the Octagon. In June, he finally scored a date to UFC 303, where he would face Michael Chandler just over a year after they coached against each other on The Ultimate Fighter.

However, the Irishman suffered a broken toe and the fight was canceled at short notice. He was aiming for a return by the end of the year, and it looked like UFC 310 in Las Vegas would be his perfect date.

White, on the other hand, has now claimed several times that he believes McGregor will be back in the cage by the end of next year. That would bring his time out of the cage to almost four years, which is an unprecedented length of time.

Photo credit: BKFC

For context, McGregor's entire star-making career, from signing with the UFC to fighting Floyd Mayweather, itself lasted just over four years.

While it appears that relations between the promotion and McGregor are now at a good point, that wasn't always the case. In December last year he appeared at a boxing event in Saudi Arabia and told TalkSPORT of his concerns about being kept out of action for years.

“Despite all the numbers I put into this game, I sell more than all of them combined. No one in the history of the fight game has ever been treated the way I am being treated right now,” he said in a chat with Gareth A Davies.

“They should open the floodgates for me and I wait and I wait and I wait. My patience has run out.”

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