Askren remains under UFC contract following his retirement from MMA in November 2019, and was granted permission by UFC president White to take the bout with Paul. Despite Askren having no pro boxing experience, White strongly believes he has a large advantage over Paul, and said he would be willing to bet $1 million on the outcome.
“He talks a lot of sh*t,” White said on the “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast. “We’re going to find out. I hope you can bet on this thing because I’ll f*cking bet a million dollars that he loses this f*cking fight. A million dollars that he loses this fight.”