Unlike many, UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley is actually in support of Jake Paul sharing the ring with MMA fighters.
Paul had his 11th match in professional boxing this past weekend, throwing down with former UFC fighter-turned-BKFC star Mike Perry inside the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The pair’s main event on DAZN pay-per-view came to a close in the sixth round when Paul followed early knockdowns and frequent success at the expense of “Platinum” with one final damaging flurry to earn the knockout.
Perry, who made his name in the cage, marked the latest mixed martial arts name added to Paul’s record, joining Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz in that group.
Paul’s choice of opponents has long been a point of discussion for his detractors. And the continuation of that trend on Saturday night was used by many to criticize the 27-year-old Cleveland native once again, in addition to his callout of UFC champion Alex Pereira.
But not everyone in MMA is against Paul’s boxing approach…
O’Malley Happy To Keep Watching Paul vs. MMA Fighters
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley reacted to Paul’s latest success inside the ring and his unexpected post-match callout.
While many laughed off Paul’s decision to put Pereira’s name on his lips in the ring, “Sugar” had nothing but praise for the callout.
“He called out Alex Pereira. That fight won’t happen unless Dana (White) says, ‘I’m sick of seeing Jake beat all these UFC guys.’ … Imagine Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul. Dude, Alex has crazy power in both hands, but the dude literally throws from his hips. He is there to be hit,” O’Malley said. “I love the callout. Imagine we get to see that. Imagine Jake Paul goes out there and knocks out Mike Tyson, Jake Paul vs. Alex Pereira, huge.
“Jake looks like he’s improving every single fight. I’m excited to continue to watch him fight,” O’Malley continued. “Jake is doing such a good job. After a fight, the biggest thing is what’s next. You’ve gotta set yourself up for those opportunities, and Jake’s doing that better than anybody right now.”
And the callout wasn’t the only criticism of Paul that O’Malley defended against. He also differed from many with his view on “The Problem Child” continuing to welcome MMA veterans into the ring.
“He hasn’t fought a top let’s say 20 guy in the world; a top-20 boxer in his weight class,” O’Malley noted. “That’s when you’re really gonna be able to see how good Jake Paul is. … I personally enjoy watching him fight these MMA guys. I like those fights. But I’m here for whatever. … I like these crossover fights.”
Paul will move away from focusing on a prominent MMA name for the time being, instead putting his sights back on heavyweight legend Mike Tyson ahead of their rearranged Netflix showdown this November.
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