Social media superstar Jake Paul was seen grappling with one of the hottest prospects in the UFC, Bo Nickal.
Although this may come as a surprise, the 26-year-old could use as much help as he could get heading into his PFL debut sometime this year.
Paul, who has often been ridiculed for fighting MMA fighters in a boxing ring rather than a cage, announced that he would be signing with the PFL on January 5th.
The now professional turned boxer has no MMA experience, so a session with grappling phenom Nickal certainly does not stain his learning period.
Nickal is a former three-time NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champion.
The 27-year-old middleweight is no veteran of the game himself, having only made his MMA debut in 2022, yet he has rallied an immense support in his brief 4-0 career.
This involves three-straight first round submissions under the UFC branch, including his pay-per-view debut where he flawlessly choked Jamie Pickett at UFC 285, as a massive -1800 favourite.
The two may not share much in common, but Nickal has offered to assist Jake Paul’s transition to MMA in the past, and he is signed under Paul’s betting company, Betr.
Jake Paul, who is coming off his first defeat in professional boxing against Tommy Fury, is yet to announce whether his next fight will take place in boxing or MMA, but a bout with the PFL in the near future is inevitable.
The heavily criticized Ohio native was very much disliked by the MMA community in the past, feuding with stars online such as Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Jorge Masvidal to name a few.
Although, he was similarly hated for his antics heading into professional boxing, and he would like to prove his doubters wrong in an identical fashion.
Paul’s multi-year historic deal with the PFL includes a co-created pay-per-view division called “PFL PPV Super Fight,” a division that guarantees fighters will receive 50% of revenue from its events.
The PFL have not exactly hinted at Jake Paul’s potential opponents, although Paul was rumoured to have offered free agent Nate Diaz a two-fight deal.