Logan Paul reveals he reached out to Dana White about fighting in UFC but CM Punk likely ‘f*cked it up’ for all pro wrestlers

Logan Paul has long talked about potentially making a move into MMA, but it turns out the YouTuber and professional wrestler actually attempted to make his debut in 2024 but his offer was rebuffed.

While he’s got plenty keeping him busy these days, the 29-year-old WWE superstar revealed on the latest episode of his podcast that he reached out to Dana White about potentially appearing one of the marquee events held this past year. Unfortunately, Paul says the lack of response from White essentially gave him the answer.

“I told Dana for UFC 300, I texted him ‘Hey man, consider me available to fight on the undercard in the Sphere,”” Paul said. “Basically completely ignored me, which I think speaks volumes. I haven’t bothered him about it since.

“I think for the right fight, the right amount of money [I would do it], and I’m an entertainer at the end of the day.”

Now Paul actually referenced two different cards with UFC 300 taking place this past April at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while UFC 306 was held at the Sphere. Either way, Paul didn’t exactly receive an enthusiastic response from White so he just let the idea go.

For all the ways Paul might actually be better suited for a potential career in MMA with a background in wrestling — he was a third-place finisher in the state finals in Ohio — he feels like perhaps another WWE standout might have ruined it for everybody else.

Back in 2014, CM Punk — real name Phil Brooks — signed a multi-fight deal to compete in the UFC after he left WWE. He made his debut less than two years later but things did not end well for him with Punk suffering a lopsided first-round submission loss to Mickey Gall and then he dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Jackson in his only other UFC fight in 2018.

Since then, Punk has returned to WWE where he’s one of the biggest stars in the organization, but Paul can’t help but wonder if his failed experiment in the UFC might have convinced White to pass on any future professional wrestlers looking to make the same move.

“He f*cked it up,” Paul said about Punk. “He f*cked it up and after that Dana was like ‘I’m never doing this again.’

“But dude, I’m not CM Punk. He’s a great wrestler, not a UFC fighter. I think I would be a much better UFC fighter than I would just a boxer. My skill is wrestling. I’m a wrestler.”

Paul’s background in amateur wrestling, combined with the skills he picked up through a few boxing matches, including a showdown against Floyd Mayweather, might make him better suited to at least try MMA, but it doesn’t sound like that’s ever going to happen.

As much as he seriously considered the move when he reached out to the UFC CEO with his offer, Paul says he’s now dedicated more than ever to his career in WWE.

“I think I found a path,” Paul said. “I’m a WWE superstar now, and it’s one of the only things I’ve done in my life where I feel so at home like ‘oh you were kind of meant to do this thing.’ I don’t know if I want to turn away from that at the moment and dedicate time to something that would be like a side quest at this point.”