Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has decided which side he blames for the Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. fight cancelation.
Paul’s sixth professional outing is certainly not coming to the ring easily. After his fifth was threatened by a late withdrawal last December, the same man behind that late panic, UK professional boxer Tommy Fury, pulled out again last month.
And though heavyweight pro Rahman Jr. stepped up to face past sparring partner Paul, just days before the start of fight week ahead of their August 6 showdown at Madison Square Garden, the bout was off.
According to Paul’s team, the plug was pulled after it became clear that Rahman Jr. couldn’t honor the original 200-pound weight limit or the subsequently agreed 205-pound adjustment. When the 31-year-old asked for the cap to be lifted to 215 pounds, the matchup fell through.
In the aftermath, the combat sports community has been somewhat split on where the blame lies. While one side has acknowledged that the promises made by Rahman Jr. were not met, and that Paul was within his rights to cancel the bout, others have accused “The Problem Child” of setting unreasonable requirements in order to prevent a size discrepancy that he himself has exploited in the past.
One man who has cleared Rahman Jr. of the wrongdoing and scathed Paul is former UFC fighter-turned-analyst Bisping, who has had his fair share of run-ins with the Ohio native online.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping insisted that the fault lies at Paul’s doorstep, and backed claims made by UFC President Dana White, who suggested that low ticket sales may have played a part in the cancelation.
“Jake Paul, of course, is blaming everybody, but the reality is it’s his fault,” Bisping claimed. “I had a lot of respect for Jake Paul for taking that bout. It was a proper fight… Jake Paul came out and put a statement that the weight wasn’t coming off Hasim Rahman Jr. as it was supposed to… I don’t quite understand this. Of course, he’s gonna blame Rahman, he’s gonna use to commission, say the weight wasn’t coming off, but the fight could’ve still gone ahead. It’s as simple as that.
“People cut weight. People do it in professional combat sports all the time… Sadly, some people miss weight… Maybe I’m missing something, but to me, it looks like, well, it looks like Dana White might be correct,” Bisping added. “That’s a pretty good theory, because the fight could’ve gone ahead.”
Bisping ‘Rumbles’ Paul
Bisping went on to assess the evidence he looked at to reach his conclusion, starting with Paul’s decision to cite weight issues as the reason for the failed fight.
According to the Englishman, it made no sense for Paul’s side to cancel the entire event over a likely weight miss, rather than allowing Rahman Jr. to attempt the cut. With that, Bisping also suggested that the need to check the 12-1 pro’s weight was likely so that Paul’s team could prepare a “get out of jail free card” should the event not sell as expected.
“Why would they cancel the entire thing? It just doesn’t make sense… They’re pulling the plug because it’s gonna be an embarrassment,” Bisping stated. “They’re pulling the plug because maybe Jake Paul’s not looking good in training. They’re pulling the plug because he’s been rumbled… I don’t know why they’re having these stipulations that within a certain amount of time, he has to be a certain weight. That, to me, looks like a get out of jail free card.
“It’s up to Rahman Jr. to take that risk… to endure an extreme weight cut. They are taking that option away from him… Jakey boy, you’ve been f*cking rumbled haven’t you? Because you weren’t selling tickets or you sh*t your pants,” Bisping concluded.
Bisping’s fellow YouTube content creator and former fighter Chael Sonnen believes he has the answer for the Brit’s confusion. He recently predicted that Rahman Jr. would likely have missed weight, accepted the fine, and then refused to make the walk on the night unless granted his full purse.
With that in mind, “The American Gangster” has backed Paul’s decision to cancel the bout, stating that Rahman Jr. has “blown his entire career” with a display of unprofessionalism.
Do you agree with Michael Bisping’s assessment of the Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. cancelation?