‘Never say never’ – Dana White performs Jake Paul U-turn and admits YouTuber could end fighting in the UFC

UFC president Dana White has refused to rule out the prospect of Jake Paul fighting inside the octagon – despite the YouTuber’s numerous taunts.

Paul, 25, began teasing a transition to mixed martial arts ahead of his rematch with Tyron Woodley last December and subsequently set his sights on a fight in the UFC cage.

White was previously quick to shut down the prospect of the Problem Child setting foot inside the octagon – but has since performed a U-turn on a potentially lucrative bout.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, White said: “At the end of the day, the kid wants to fight here.

“He doesn’t want to fight here because he doesn’t believe we pay guys. He wants to fight here because this is where the money is, regardless of what he says.

“I would never say never.”

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White’s stance on celebrities fighting in the octagon changed after the promotion’s unsuccessful experiment with former WWE superstar CM Punk.

But he’s seemingly intrigued by the idea of the youngest Paul brother – who boasts a 5-0 professional boxing record – trying his hand at MMA in the world’s biggest fight promotion.

He said: “I don’t know, I mean, I look at it sometimes.

“And it’s kind of intriguing, but it kind of goes against what I do.

“I really do bring the best of the best in. I’ve tried to do a couple of those celebrity things with some WWE guys.

“Some worked. Some didn’t. But I wouldn’t say no. I did Mayweather-McGregor when I said I would never do it.”

White’s apparent U-turn on working with Paul comes after a barrage of abuse from the social media sensation and criticism over the UFC’s pay structure.

Paul recently foresaw White having a change of heart, telling Teddy Atlas: “I think it’s timing and proving myself more in the boxing side of things.

“And pretty soon the UFC and the MMA side, it’ll be undeniable for me to get into the octagon, or fight for one of these other organisations against a big name.

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“So I think it’s all a timing thing and Dana [White] seems to be open to it, right?

“He said on my brother’s podcast he might let Logan fight in the UFC and I think he’s coming around to me and starting to see what I’m about and what I actually stand for.”