A serious offer or just more gamesmanship between Khabib and Paul?
Jake Paul isn’t the only person who knows how to generate media attention making offers and challenges that aren’t likely to come to fruition. Paul has been calling out the UFC and Dana White for months. And now former UFC lightweight champion turned Eagle FC promoter Khabib Nurmagomedov is calling out Paul.
A week ago, Khabib rolled out the welcome mat for Paul, declaring “The doors of Eagle Fight Club always open for you and your team.” Paul replied saying “Deal, but only if I fight you first.”
Sounds like your typical Twitter posturing, right? Not according to Khabib, who claims he’s gone so far as to send a contract to Paul’s people.
“We offered him,” Nurmagomedov said during an Eagle FC 44 media scrum. “Now we’re waiting on his answer. If he wants, we’re here.”
The YouTuber turned boxer Paul has largely built his career off fighting cage fighters in the ring. But following his latest big KO victory over Tyron Woodley, “The Problem Child” has been teasing a legit MMA fight. Videos of him practicing leg kicks raised eyebrows, and there are somewhat confounding reports that Paul may fight for the PFL.
With his boxing schtick working out so well at the moment, we have our doubts Jake Paul will really switch over to MMA. More likely, this is all just an attempt to attract the MMA world’s attention — something he certainly has after releasing a ridiculous diss track pointed at UFC president Dana White and Conor McGregor.
But if he’s going to keep poking at the MMA community, he better expect people like Khabib to poke back. Just send him location, Jake!