It appears the YouTube star turned pugilist is more than happy to make all the money he can getting MMA fighters to challenge him in the boxing ring.
Jake Paul may not be the best boxer in the world. Heck, he may not even be a proper professional boxer. But, he seems to have done a stellar job convincing the MMA world that he’s a fighter worth challenging and proving something against. If for no other reason than the seemingly massive paydays that fighting him provides.
What some MMA fans may have hoped was simply a fleeting moment of absurdity has turned into a full-scale frenzy, with Daniel Cormier surprisingly leading the charge in a confrontation during UFC 261. From which Cormier later took some time to reflect on the violence he’d love to inflict on Paul. Just exactly the fuel the former Disney star needs to keep himself square in the public eye.
Paul recently took to Ariel Helwani’s web show to talk about his ongoing feuds with MMA fighters, and why he’s keeping the sport square in his sights as he moves forward in the boxing ring.
“I think, combining the two worlds—the biggest PPV of all time was Floyd vs. Conor. That’s boxing vs. MMA. And so why not keep with that model?” Paul revealed. “And I believe I’m a better striker than 99.9% of these MMA guys.
“And so, when we’re matching up from a skill/experience level, it’s even. It’s who wants it more, really, in the fight. You know, if I’m going up against these world champion boxers, who have been doing it since they were six years old, it’s just an unfair advantage.
“I do want to fight boxers,” Paul continued. “There’s people who I am going back and forth with about potential fights. But, I think the MMA community vs. the boxing community—and, sorta, that overlap. And the people I want to knock out happen to be MMA fighters.”
Jake Paul on why he wants to box MMA fighters.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/sg3fKfztCv
— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) April 27, 2021
It seems to be something of a stone-faced admission that, at least for now, Paul isn’t out looking to test himself against top quality boxers. Instead, it seems likely that he’ll keep on picking off MMA’s less talented strikers, eager to try to shut him up anyway they can.
As ridiculous as the Paul saga is, he’s not wrong about some things. And if an MMA fighter can land a fight with everyone’s most notable Influencer, the bouts he can offer appear to be more lucrative than most fights the UFC is willing to make. As long as that’s the case, Jake Paul will likely have no shortage of potential opponents.