On Saturday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts promotion ran its UFC 261 event. It was especially notable in that it featured a full audience of 15,000+ attendees with no mask policies or other pandemic guidelines, as the state of Florida no longer requires them. But outside of that and the fights, which were explosive, there was one dominant aspect of the UFC event that stood out, that being the complete and utter dislike the crowd had for Jake Paul.
Within fifteen minutes of UFC 261's preliminary matches starting, a crowd chant began in the stadium. "F*** Jake Paul" was the chosen line to repeat, though there were other expletive-ridden options attempted, as well. It wasn't just a one-time chant, either. The crowd took up the chant multiple times throughout both the preliminary and main card of UFC 261, including one especially loud example when UFC decided to show Jake Paul on camera.
There was even one especially controversial moment for the audience, or at least as controversial as a 15,000-person audience with no pandemic restrictions can be. During one fight, one of the fighters horrifically broke their leg. It took several minutes for the fighter to be placed on a stretcher and as they left the ring, the audience once again took up its chant against Jake Paul.
Jake Paul is a controversial YouTuber and influencer, which already puts him in a negative light with the UFC's audience. But the bigger issue is Jake Paul's recent string of boxing matches. Just last week, Paul delivered a first-round knockout against ex-UFC fighter Ben Askren, spinning off accusations of match-fixing. Needless to say, UFC's fans don't have a high opinion of Paul.
Paul has capitalized heavily on the disrespect for him in the UFC community. Recently, Paul called out the popular retired fighter and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier. Cormier even stepped away from the broadcast desk to confront Paul during UFC 261, prompting another round of chants from the crowd.
Despite the obvious energy surrounding Jake Paul, conjuring a comparison to Andy Kaufman's legendary heel act in pro wrestling, the UFC has already said it has no interest in letting Paul fight in the promotion. Paul's likely perfectly fine with that, as he can take his matches at other promotions while using the UFC to help build up excitement (and PPV buyers) as he pleases. Expect to see Jake Paul at UFC 262, if not sooner.