YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul has announced his intention to compete in mixed martial arts following his boxing match with Mike Tyson.
After his fight with the boxing legend, Paul said on his podcast Problem Child that he is “very serious” about fighting in MMA against UFC fan favorites Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. .
Paul and Tyson are scheduled to box on June 20, 2024, while Masvidal and Diaz are scheduled to box a few weeks earlier, on June 1, 2024. After these bouts, Paul stated that he wanted to train for six months for a fight with either of them in the Professional Fighters League, the mixed martial arts organization with which Paul is contracted.
“When I say I want to fight these guys in MMA, I’m very serious,” Paul said on the podcast. “It’s a $10 million offer,” he continued.
The 9-1 fighter said both UFC fighters kept him from thinking he wasn’t a great boxer and would be even worse if he was put in the cage.
“All these guys are hiding behind some crazy stuff,” he continued, naming other UFC fighters like Paddy Pimblett and Sean Strickland. “None of them ever got up to the table and talked about any business to actually make anything happen, in a real match or a real spar, whatever it was.”
After his co-host asked for a realistic timeline for an MMA bout, Paul said that “obviously” there’s Mike Tyson first, but he’ll just “do it after that.”
“I would like a six-month camp,” he added.
“You’ve got to learn to kick, dude,” sneered his older brother, professional wrestler Logan Paul.
Masvidal and Diaz have not expressed much desire to fight Paul in a mixed martial arts cage. Diaz has fought Paul in boxing and has expressed some interest in a possible MMA match, but understandably called off the fight in the PFL. smaller organization The reputation is not very good.
“I’m fine. I want to fight real fighters and I’ll never go back to the minor leagues,” Diaz said in November 2023.
Masvidal explained that since he is still under contract with the UFC, the organization’s executives had no interest in making money from Paul in any way or enhancing his brand. In fact, the Cuban fighter revealed that UFC president Dana White even sponsored a boxing match in Tyson’s camp.
Masvidal claimed that “under no circumstances” will the UFC allow “top draws” to go to the PFL for money.
When asked about Paul at the pre-boxing press conference, Diaz and Masvidal responded, “Fucking Jake Paul,” with Masvidal adding, “We’ve got a real fighter here.”
The six-month camp casts strong doubt on Paul’s 2024 MMA debut, which fans have long anticipated. The schedule is limited to year-end events, but that’s not out of the question. Many MMA promotions often postpone their big events to mid-December, and the UFC typically takes a month off from the end of the year until mid-January.
PFL executive Don Davis has already said Paul seems to prioritize boxing for 90% of his training, and it took him longer than expected to make his debut.
professional mixed martial artist TJ Laramiefought in UFC In 2022, Paul told Blaze News that he was also skeptical of entering the cage in 2024.
“It’s highly doubtful he’ll be able to make it to the PFL this year,” Laramie said. “If he loses the boxing match, it might be a different story. It would make more sense to try his luck in the MMA cage,” the featherweight added.
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