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Jake Paul has a ways to go before he steps into the boxing ring against Canelo Alvarez.

YouTuber Jake Paul (4-0) believes he can beat pound-for-pound No. 1 Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2) after just four fights, but the latter knows Paul would be completely out of his element.

Canelo was recently asked whether he would consider boxing Paul and, while he didn’t rule out the possibility of facing him, the 31-year-old WBO super middleweight champ didn’t exactly sound too enthusiastic about the matchup either.

Here’s what Canelo said when asked by a photographer whether he would consider fighting the YouTube influencer (translated from Spanish to English by TMZ Sports).

Photog: “What do you think of Jake Paul? Are you gonna give him a chance?”

Canelo: “Not right now.”

Photog: “Why don’t you want to give him a chance?”

Canelo: “He’s not ready.”

Photog: “Do you think it might be a good option?”

Canelo: “If he wants someone to fight, we have this guy right here …” (Points to a friend)

Photog: “What needs to happen in order for you to give him a chance?”

Canelo: “He needs to keep improving. Good luck.”

Photog: “What do you think of a fight between you and your brother vs. the Paul bros?”

Canelo: “No.”

Paul most recently fought on Aug. 29 against former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. He won the fight via split decision to extend his record to 4-0. The social media star retired, then unretired, all within a few days following the fight.

Canelo will return to the boxing ring on Nov. 6 to challenge Caleb Plant for the IBF super-middleweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight veterans Derek Brunson and Darren Till will collide TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 4, 2021) at UFC Vegas 36 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Has Brunson turned over a new leaf? He’s been fighting the top-tier of Middleweight competition for the better part of ten years now, and his strengths of physical takedowns and a huge left hand remain the same. However, he seems to be applying his skills with a bit more Fight IQ, which has resulted in a four-fight win streak. Here’s a somewhat shocking fact: Till only holds six wins inside the Octagon after six years on the roster. Of course, at least a couple of those victories came opposite elite contenders, but that detail goes a long way in illustrating how the Englishman could really use a big victory here to keep him in the mix.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Derek Brunson

Record: 21-7
Key Wins: Kevin Holland (UFC Vegas 22), Edmen Shahbazyen (UFC Vegas 5), Lyoto Machida (UFC Fight Night 119), Uriah Hall (UFC Fight Night 94), Ian Heinisch (UFC 241), Lorenz Larkin (UFC 177)
Key Losses: Robert Whittaker (UFC Fight Night 101), Israel Adesanya (UFC 230), Yoel Romero (UFC Fight Night 35), Ronaldo Souza (UFC on FOX 27, Strikeforce: “Rousey vs Kaufman”)
Keys to Victory: Brunson keeps it pretty simply in the cage. On the feet, Brunson works at distance with his long kicks before suddenly crashing forward with the left, usually using that strike to enter into wrestling exchanges. Once he’s locked horns with his foe, Brunson’s strength and size often become a major factor.

I’d really like to see Brunson test Till’s clinch game and wrestling right out of the gate. At 170 pounds, Till was largely impossible to drag to the mat — that’s the benefit of killing one’s self to make weight! At Middleweight, he hasn’t spent much time on his back, but still, a pair of mostly strikers in Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum were able to ground him. Brunson may find the takedown easier than expected, and his top game is a different level of heavy.

If the takedown doesn’t come easily, Brunson has to be really aware of his body position. Till excels at intercepting opponents as they crash forward, and Brunson is notorious for his face-first assaults. It’s absolutely essential for the wrestler that he attacks without overcommitting, lest he run into a devastating shot that ends things early.

Over time, consistent kickboxing and attempts at the takedown can drag momentum to Brunson’s corner even if he has trouble finishing the shot early … so long as he doesn’t get knocked out.

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Darren Till

Record: 18-3-1
Key Wins: Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 244), Stephen Thompson (UFC Fight Night 130), Donald Cerrone (UFC Fight Night 118), Bojan Velickovic (UFC Fight Night 115)
Key Losses: Tyron Woodley (UFC 228), Robert Whittaker (UFC on ESPN 14), Jorge Masvidal (UFC Fight Night 147)
Keys to Victory: Till is very much a sniper. Whether attacking from the front foot or countering his opponent’s barrage, Till is not often looking to overwhelm his foe with volume. Instead, he places his left hand with great accuracy, and it’s all the more effective as a result.

It is essential that Till wins the range battle definitively. Brunson actually does a fairly nice job at distance with his long left kicks and poking punches, drawing opponents into slow-paced exchanges before suddenly turning up the intensity. Given Till’s low volume style, there is a distinct risk that Brunson keeps it close enough on the feet that even brief periods of control can cost the English athlete rounds on the scorecards.

That’s no good.

As this is a match up of Southpaw vs. Southpaw, the striking game changes a bit. The range battle will be decided by the jab and low kick — Till must win both. If he’s pecking at Brunson and kicking his lead leg out of position, it increases the odds of Brunson diving for crappy takedowns or running straight into the counter left hand with his chin high.

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Bottom Line

One man enters the title mix, one is left on the outside looking in.

Brunson has a chance to make it five victories in a row, which is pretty significant given the relative lack of win streaks among his fellow 185-pound contenders. Till has name value, and a third straight main event victory would be hard to deny. It doesn’t necessarily guarantee a title shot, but at the very least, a title eliminator would be secured.

At 37 years of age, however, this may be his final chance at a title run.

Till is in an odd situation, not dissimilar to Kelvin Gastelum a couple weeks ago. If he wins, he’s close a to a title shot — Israel Adesanya wants to fight him! A No. 1 contender eliminator match up next vs. someone like Jared Cannonier would make sense.

If he loses, though? All of a sudden, it becomes very noticeable that Till’s only win in three years and five fights would be the aforementioned struggling Gastelum. Marketability and talent aside, that’s not enough to keep Till atop fight cards in important match ups.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 36 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 36: “Brunson vs. Till” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

At UFC Vegas 36, Derek Brunson and Darren Till will go to war in the main event. Which man takes a step closer to the title?

Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC Vegas 35 event in Vegas on ESPN, which features a middleweight bout as the headliner.

Join us today (Sept. 4) on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and full play-by-play (main event) as UFC Vegas 36 goes down at the APEX facility.

The headliner of the card is a middleweight matchup between Derek Brunson and former welterweight title challenger Darren Till. In the co-main event, English heavyweight prospect Tom Aspinall will look to maintain his unbeaten UFC record against late replacement Sergey Spivac, who is filling in for Sergei Pavlovich due to the latter’s travel problems.

This card also features the UFC debut of former Cage Warriors champion Paddy Pimblett, as he opens the main broadcast against Luigi Vendramini.

This is an exclusive on the ESPN+ streaming service in the US and on UFC Fight Pass in Canada. Because this is show was originally set for London and moved to Vegas with a lot of high-profile European fighters, this show has a special start time.The four-fight preliminary card is scheduled to start at 1:30 PM ET/10:30 AM PT. The five-fight main card will kick off at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT.

The Show Money crew is back to spew their sometimes educated, sometimes random theories on the only show exclusively dedicated to the business of MMA.

The Show Money crew is Paul the economist, Jason the lawyer, and John Nash, Bloody Elbow’s Financials Columnist, who also happens to be the man who knows everyone and everything in MMA. They bring you the business side of MMA, in depth, in a way you won’t find anywhere else!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO PODCAST OF THE SHOW ON BLOODY ELBOW PRESENTS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – RIGHT HERE!

In our latest episode, the crew discusses:

1. UFC Antitrust Lawsuit Update

2. Endeavor’s Second Quarter: “The best first half the UFC has ever had”

3. Endeavor Stock Options Controversy

4. Jake Paul on Fighter Pay, Fighter Pay Issues in General

5. What Might Be the Best Way to Address Fighter Pay?

Be sure and follow Paul at @MMAanalytics, John at @heynottheface, and Jason at @dilletaunt for all of their twitter musings.

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