Jake Paul and his business partner Geoffrey Woo have vowed to push the UFC to "do the right thing" in regards fighter pay after announcing their investment in the company.
Paul has bought in to the MMA promotion's parent company Endeavor in a move that he believes can improve the well-being of fighters in the sport.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been engaged in a long-running feud with Dana White over fighter pay, which came to a head when he learned that last weekend's UFC 270 card saw the combined payouts coming at less than his last guarantee.
Paul made $2million for his first fight with Tyron Woodley, the last known payout guarantee of his 5-0 boxing career, while the 22 fighters, including three world champions, last weekend earned a collective $1,844,000
He made his feelings known about the pay issue in a tweet after the event, and this morning announced that he had officially invested in EDR stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Endeavor, whose chairman is Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, owns the UFC after buying the company for $4.4billion back in 2016 from the Fertitta Brothers.
"I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner Geoffrey Woo to focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters," he wrote on Twitter.
"We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare.
"Reaching out to Engine No. 1 [an impact investment group] to partner on this 'endeavor'."
And Paul's business partner Woo expanded in a lengthy social media thread, telling fans that he and the social media sensation will be pushing the company to "do the right thing".
" Jake Paul, our partners, and I are excited to announce our latest Anti-Fund Venture Capital investment," Woo said.
"Endeavor, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship - and our goals for the business as impact investors & venture capitalists.
"My partner Jake has lead the way in changing the business of combat sports by not just talking about it, but being about it - fighter pay, healthcare, & championing women’s sport.
"Today is our next step in our vision of revolutionising the industry.
"UFC has faced a rising chorus of criticism for the exploitation of its athletes - the heart of business.
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"The ratio of revenue going to athletes vs owners and leagues is well below industry standard.
"This disparity hurts long-term shareholder value & this is not going to magically change.
"Jake is the archetype of the future, where individual transcends the machine.
"This is happening across all sectors - media, entertainment and tech start ups where dynamic, innovative individuals and creators are bargaining toe-to-toe with the owners, the institutions, and the academy.
"We believe the best way to accelerate this inevitable revolution is to lead it from within the UFC as co-owners and impact investors.
"We will use our investment stake to rally fans, athletes, fellow shareholders, and management to do the right thing.
"I invite likeminded shareholders, our Board, our largest institutional to the smallest individual owners of EDR / UFC to join Jake, Anti Fund, and I to drive management change to upgrade sport culture, whilst capturing outsized long-term equity value.
"It’s not just the right thing to do, but the profitable one."
Paul has been actively looking at the investment for an extended period of time, taking in two of the promotion's live pay-per-view events last year.
His manager Nakisa Bidarian was the company's Chief Financial Officer during their sale to Endeavor, but it remains to be seen if he will be involved actively in this move.
