Dana White Thinks Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Is a Bad Idea, But ‘a Lot Of People Will Watch’

Dana White doesn’t think Jake Paul’s fight against Anthony Joshua is a good idea, but he doesn’t doubt it will do great numbers. Most Valuable Promotions officially announced on Monday morning that Paul will face Joshua in a professional bout on December 19th on Netflix. The sanctioned fight will be contested at heavyweight, a major move up in weight for Paul who is ranked as a cruiserweight.

The fight will be contested over eight three-minute rounds and take place at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The bout streams live globally on Netflix. Additional information such as undercard bouts and co-main event details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Paul was set to fight Gervonta Davis initially on November 14th. That fight was cancelled due to allegations against Davis.

White was asked about the fight during a press conference over the weekend, before the bout was made official. White did not seem confident in the idea, though he noted he will watch. You can see highlights below:

On His Reaction to the Fight:

“Oh Jesus. That’s a f**king bad idea. That’s a bad idea. But let me tell you what: a lot of people will watch that one. [smiles]”

On If He’ll Watch:

“Sure. You know what everybody’s tuning in for on that one. I think everybody’s gonna get what they’ve finally been waiting for.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit MMAjunkie with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

Dana White will be watching Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua because "everybody is going to get what they've finally been waiting for."

"That's a f*cking bad idea. That's a bad idea." #JakeJoshua pic.twitter.com/WoFH41izcg

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 17, 2025