UFC 261: Jake Paul the villain as Daniel Cormier beef extends YouTuber’s 15 minutes of fame in MMA world

The internet celebrity goaded commentator Cormier into a war of words at UFC 261, bringing himself further notoriety in combat sports world

Paul brings out the worst in all of us, our inability to turn away from a villainous character with a silver tongue and knack for self-promotion

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Jake Paul continues to kick the hornet’s nest and get reactions from stars in the fight game. Photo: USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Blennerhassett

Patrick Blennerhassett is an award-winning Canadian journalist and four-time published author.

Published: 6:26pm, 27 Apr 2021

Everyone loves a good villain. Someone we all love to hate, and the MMA world has a fascinatingly absurd one right now.

Internet celebrity, 24-year-old Jake Paul, who rose to fame posting six second clips on a now defunct social media platform called Vine, somehow inserted himself into the narrative of UFC 261 over the weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. He was not on the card, but he still made headlines.

Before the show began, Paul was seen engaging in a heated war of words ringside with UFC commentator and former two-belt champion Daniel Cormier. What was said is inconsequential – it was trash talk – but the optics are once again great for Paul, and not good for the UFC. Cormier clearly got goaded into a verbal altercation with what was essentially a fan sitting ringside, albeit a famous one.

It’s tough to fault Cormier because Paul is a skilled antagoniser. He’s got beef with everyone and their dog, as he continuously takes shots at UFC fighters online via social media videos, tweets and posts. His first round knockout of Ben Askren – who appeared to show up solely for a payday – in a celebrity boxing match pay-per-view event via Triller, didn’t help either, as Askren is a former UFC fighter.

Dana White got pushed into commenting on Paul again after UFC 261, and it’s clear the promotion’s president is tired of talking about him. But there is a shred of respect there for Paul extending his 15 minutes of fame well past its best before date.