He just beat Ben Askren. He allegedly beat Mike Perry in sparring. Just how far up the UFC ladder can YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul climb?
Following Jake Paul’s quick and dominating win over Ben Askren at Saturday’s Triller Fight Club event, the unfortunate question we’re all asking now is which UFC fighter Paul will fight next to continue padding his boxing record. More than a few fighters have already registered their interest, which is not surprising considering Askren reportedly banked around a million dollars for his two minutes of ring time with Paul.
Dillon Danis was Jake Paul’s original target, another MMA fighter with little to no boxing skills and a fame connection via Conor McGregor. And then there’s BJ Penn throwing his name into the ring. Dustin Poirier already has his money fight with McGregor lined up, but he suggested “Platinum” Mike Perry as a fun option for Paul.
Alas, apparently Perry has already tasted the furious fists of Jake Paul and walked away in defeat. Paul shared a video post-spar with Perry claiming he was ‘light work.’
He was light work
In his own words “you kicked my ass”
I want to see Jake Paul vs. Dustin Prober https://t.co/SnkbdjidMb pic.twitter.com/QXk9hjYGQ5
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 18, 2021
“Good job, Jake,” Perry says in the video. “You kicked my ass.”
“Nah it’s good, bro,” Paul replies. “Good work.”
So for those of you trying to get a sense of where exactly Paul’s boxing abilities lie, he’s now definitely above Askren level and probably above Perry level. Given Mike’s 7-8 record in the UFC, that places him above a UFC journeyman … when you take away that journeyman’s ability to do anything but box.