It seems trouble may be brewing amongst Professional Fighters League (PFL) colleagues, as Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou are apparently at odds.
Shortly after Paul defeated Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in an eight-round boxing match that failed to live up to any hype (recap here), Ngannou threatened to slap “El Gallo” a couple of times, apparently for what he did to his friend, “Iron Mike.”
“Next time I see this Jake Paul guy I’m gonna give him 2 or 3 slaps,” wrote Ngannou on X.
Upon catching wind of the post, Paul was quick to offer up a rebuttal of his own, though he didn’t choose violence. Instead, the man formerly known as “The Problem Child” really hit him where it hurts, demoting “The Predator” down to the second best Heavyweight in mixed martial arts (MMA) behind Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 265-pound king, Jon Jones.
“Clout chasing doesn’t suit you legend,” wrote Paul. “Maybe Jon Jones is the better heavyweight after all.”
If you recall, Paul was quick to give Ngannou his flowers and the title of the best big man in the game moments after “The Predator” wowed in his PFL debut by knocking out Renen Ferreira in under four minutes (see it again here).
Let’s fucking go Francis . The real fucking heavyweight champ!!!
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) October 19, 2024
But it seems a threat from one of the hardest hitters in combat sports is enough for Paul to switch sides, tarnishing their once budding friendship, in the process. The slap could also be an ode to the one Tyson gave Paul during their heated pre-fight staredown after “El Gallo” stepped on the former boxing champion’s toe.
Of course, Jones further solidified his spot as the best big man in the business by crushing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last night (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024), stopping him in the third round of their headlining bout via spinning back kick (see it again here).
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