Tag: Paulie Malignaggi

Jake Paul backed to challenge Conor McGregor in MMA clash: ‘If you hang with him he will get uncomfortable’

Jake Paul backed to put up challenge to Conor McGregor in MMA fightFormer boxing world champion, Paulie Malignaggi, backs Jake Paul to trouble Conor McGregor in a potential MMA fight. Since Paul has made his transition to combat, he has desperately attempted to entice McGregor into a fight. The American seems to take every opportunity to criticise and goad the former UFC champion. Jake Paul is set […]

Jake Paul backed to put up challenge to Conor McGregor in MMA fight

Former boxing world champion, Paulie Malignaggi, backs Jake Paul to trouble Conor McGregor in a potential MMA fight.

Since Paul has made his transition to combat, he has desperately attempted to entice McGregor into a fight. The American seems to take every opportunity to criticise and goad the former UFC champion.

Jake Paul is set to take on McGregor’s long-standing rival, Nate Diaz in a boxing match on August 5 but has also expressed interest in also taking to MMA after signing with PFL earlier this year.

Paulie Malignaggi gives Jake Paul fighting chance

Paulie Malignaggi, another detractor of McGregor, spoke to the chances of Jake Paul if he were to face McGregor inside the cage. Malignaggi and McGregor very publicly feuded after the latter released sparring footage in the build up for his fight with Floyd Mayweather. The video shows McGregor knocking down the ‘Magic Man’, appearing to get the better of him – something which the junior welter and welterweight champion disputes.

“Jake has a high school wrestler background, so he would not be totally out of his element in the cage,” said Malignaggi. “He’d need to be alert to his kicks, but McGregor (has) absolutely no balls. If you make him just a little bit uncomfortable, you are going to put yourself in a position where you might win the fight.

“You can make him uncomfortable by beating on him, or if he’s beating on you, if you just hang in the fight he begins to get nervous and paranoid. He’s not a true fighter,” he continued. “He looks for the first window to jump out of. He’s got athletic ability but his anxiety levels get high. That’s why he gets so tired in fights. (H/T Lord Ping)

“Jake just needs the ability to hang in there and he can start to trouble him a little. He can put himself in the position to win the fight. I think McGregor’s boxing is brutally bad, but at this point, even in MMA, if you hang with him he will get uncomfortable,” Malignaggi concluded. 

The now infamous Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi sparring footage

Do you agree with Pauli Maliganni?

Paulie Malignaggi Reveals Why He Declined An Offer To Box Dan Hardy

Paulie Malignaggi is wary of any offers that might pull him back into fighting, even if it’s a matchup with a former UFC fighter. “Magic Man” revealed in an interview with Dylan Bowker that he recently turned down an offer to box former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy. “I was offered recently an exhibition boxing bout…

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Paulie Malignaggi is wary of any offers that might pull him back into fighting, even if it’s a matchup with a former UFC fighter.

“Magic Man” revealed in an interview with Dylan Bowker that he recently turned down an offer to box former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy.

“I was offered recently an exhibition boxing bout against Dan Hardy in England. Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy,” Malignaggi said. “Which was kind of interesting, but at the end of the day, I just felt like it would take away from my schedule that I had with my commentary gigs. My commentary is sort of what I’m trying to stay focused on right now.”

The 41-year-old most recently competed in 2019 when he faced off with Artem Lobov in the main event of BKFC 6. Malignaggi lost via decision to Lobov in his only bare-knuckle boxing appearance, but he’s remained in the sport by moving into a commentary role with BYB Extreme Fighting Series.

Even though he turned down the opportunity to fight Hardy, “Magic Man” admits that he was tempted by the details of the matchup.

Malignaggi last fought in a bare-knuckle bout against Artem Lobov in 2019. (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

“They gave me a decent offer actually (for Hardy). Honestly, it was a cool scenario all around. It was less risk and would have been with 16-ounce gloves. It was definitely less risk. I come from a life where I had to pay people to spar in 16-ounce gloves…So to be able to be paid to do a 16-ounce glove sparring match would have been interesting. I was offered it with no headgear. Listen, I can’t say it didn’t get my attention. But what I figured to myself was if I take this, I’m going to keep getting other offers and I’m going to keep getting sucked back into this.”

Malignaggi has floated in and out of MMA headlines since his controversial sparring session with Conor McGregor in the lead up to McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather. He blamed his 2019 BKFC loss to Lobov on “MMA judges” and criticized Ben Askren’s boxing performance against Jake Paul. Earlier this year, he threw his own name into the mix as a possible opponent for Paul.

Dan Hardy is set to appear in an exhibition boxing match on July 2 against Diego Sanchez. Malignaggi previously claimed to have been offered a fight with Sanchez for BKFC in 2021.

What do you think of Pauli Malignaggi’s explanation for why he turned down a fight with Dan Hardy?

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Conor McGregor Reignites Feud With Paulie Malignaggi After ‘Light Work’ Comment

Conor McGregorConor McGregor fired shots back at Paulie Malignaggi who weighed in on Jake Paul’s recent comments regarding a video of ‘Notorious’ hitting a pad with boxing gloves. Paul responded to McGregor’s video criticizing his head movement and lack of guard leaving his chin vulnerable. He continued trolling McGregor suggesting that he could knock him out […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor fired shots back at Paulie Malignaggi who weighed in on Jake Paul’s recent comments regarding a video of ‘Notorious’ hitting a pad with boxing gloves.

Paul responded to McGregor’s video criticizing his head movement and lack of guard leaving his chin vulnerable. He continued trolling McGregor suggesting that he could knock him out in both boxing and MMA.

Malignaggi also took shots at McGregor as he supported Paul’s claims of making ‘light work’ of the former two-division UFC champion on the video.

After half a decade, the rivalry between the Irishman and the former WBA & IBF junior welterweight champion continues. McGregor was quick to fire back at the ‘Magic Man’ with a photo from their sparring session back in 2017 which showed a knocked down Malignaggi.

Malignaggi’s best days are behind him as he sits comfortably in the role of a color commentator and analyst these days. He had turned down a fight against Diego Sanchez in BKFC and had lost his latest outing in the ring against Artem Lobov in 2019.

Will Conor McGregor fight Jake Paul in boxing or MMA?

McGregor has been on the road to recovery since suffering a horrific leg injury in the first round of his third fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. In July 2021, the Irish superstar returned to the octagon for his trilogy bout where he broke his leg after Poirier checked one of his leg kicks.

He looks determined to make his return in the UFC this year after sharing his speedy recovery ahead of schedule after a recent leg scan. A fourth fight with the Diamond could be on the cards amongst other possible options in Nate Diaz and even a potential title fight with the lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

It remains to be seen whether McGregor will fight Jake Paul in either boxing or MMA as the two continue to bash each other online. While most of the Twitter feuds fizzle out, there is a possibility we may see the two facing each other to put on a show for the fans.

Do you think Conor McGregor will agree to a bout against Jake Paul? Will it be boxing or MMA?

McGregor Finally Responds To Jake Paul & Claps Back At Malignaggi

Conor McGregor fired back at one new target and one from years past after both took aim at the Irishman’s boxing skills. Conor McGregor has remained active after breaking his leg at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. He has spent much of his time bulking up and active resting. And now, he has begun to…

Continue Reading McGregor Finally Responds To Jake Paul & Claps Back At Malignaggi at MMA News.

Conor McGregor fired back at one new target and one from years past after both took aim at the Irishman’s boxing skills.

Conor McGregor has remained active after breaking his leg at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. He has spent much of his time bulking up and active resting. And now, he has begun to hit the pads as he inches closer to his targeted summer return.

When footage of McGregor engaging in an outdoor training session was released, the Irishman left himself wide open to criticism from peers and haters alike, or in this case both.

Notorious troll Jake Paul shared his thoughts on McGregor’s handiwork, calling it “embarrassing” and telling McGregor “Your chin (is) wide open with no head movement for the PRBLM CHILD right hand of god.”

This is far from the first time Paul has jabbed McGregor. The former champ-champ was even one of Paul’s targets in his Dana White Diss Track.

Additionally, Paul has been angling for a fight with McGregor for roughly a year now, roasting him at every turn. In fact, the YouTuber even went so far as to create a “Sleepy McGregor chain,” which depicted McGregor’s posture on the mat immediately after getting TKOd by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

But through all the jokes and challenges, McGregor has never issued a direct response to Paul. That is until Friday.

After Paul’s critique of McGregor’s boxing technique, “The Notorious” posted the following video on his Twitter page:

After shadowboxing in bed for a few seconds, McGregor would shout, “Jackass!” before belting out a hearty laugh.

McGregor & Malignaggi Back At It Again

Soon after McGregor’s exchange with Paul, a name from McGregor’s past, Paulie Malignaggi, also weighed in on McGregor’s training video. Unsurprisingly, the “Magic Man” was not complimentary.

“I agree with Jake. Connor is light work,” Malignaggi wrote.

“He ain’t s**t” Malignaggi further assessed when a Twitter user spoke up in defense of McGregor.

Never being one in need of someone to defend him, McGregor would counter Malignaggi himself.

“I left you like a little seesaw,” McGregor said with an image from their infamous sparring session prior to the MayMac event.

Malignaggi has always argued that him hitting the canvas during this session was actually a result of a push and that he wasn’t actually dropped by a McGregor punch. He also repeatedly called on McGregor to release the full sparring footage instead of cherry-picked clips.

The full sparring session was never released, and Malignaggi has continued to take shots at McGregor ever since their falling out, even five years later.

Though Malignaggi and McGregor never had the opportunity to compete in a full boxing match, Malignaggi did have the opportunity to fight McGregor’s close friend Artem Lobov in a bare-knuckle boxing match in 2019.

Prior to the bout, Malignaggi admitted to not taking Lobov seriously and laughed about MMA fans being dumb enough to believe Lobov stood a chance.

Lobov would go on to win the contest via split decision.

What are your thoughts on McGregor’s clap-backs to Jake Paul and Paulie Malignaggi?

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Paulie Malignaggi Makes His Pitch For Being Jake Paul’s Next Opponent

Paulie Malignaggi is all for being Jake Paul’s next opponent. Jake Paul is currently 5-0 in his professional boxing career. He has been taking it nice and easy thus far with his opponent selection, only fighting a fellow YouTuber, a retired NBA player, and a pair of MMA fighters with zero pro boxing experience. Many […]

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Paulie Malignaggi is all for being Jake Paul’s next opponent.

Jake Paul is currently 5-0 in his professional boxing career. He has been taking it nice and easy thus far with his opponent selection, only fighting a fellow YouTuber, a retired NBA player, and a pair of MMA fighters with zero pro boxing experience.

Many fans and sports pundits have called on Paul to begin testing himself against professional boxers. However, as Paul himself has pointed out, he did attempt to do that against Tommy Fury last December fell apart through no fault of his own. Furthermore, recent interest in fights against Julio César Chávez Jr. and even Anderson Silva, who holds a victory over Chávez, have also demonstrated an openness from Paul to make that leap upwards in competition.

Now, a new name has entered the Jake Paul sweepstakes, and it is someone who the MMA community is very familiar with: former WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi.

Paulie Malignaggi | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights
Paulie Malignaggi

Of course, while Paul usually jousts with MMA fighters in trash talk on social media, Malignaggi’s internet headbutting is known more for being with MMA fans.

This began after Malignaggi went back and forth with fans over leaked sparring footage between him and McGregor in 2017, with Malignaggi disputing whether or not he was dropped and continuing to brand McGregor fans as “groupies.”

Malignaggi once even took a moment to thank MMA fans for their “stupidity” in thinking that his bare-knuckle boxing match with Artem Lobov would be competitive so that he could profit off of the lopsided contest. Lobov would go on to win that fight via decision.

Since the loss to Lobov, Malignaggi has not competed in any other professional combat sports competition. But as he thought aloud about what attributes and characteristics would be required of Paul’s next opponent, he ultimately landed on himself as the most logical conclusion.

“If he’s gonna fight a real boxer, I think it’s gonna be an older guy, obviously, as they all have been a little older,” Malignaggi began on his YouTube channel. “Despite the non-boxers he fought, they’ve all been a little bit older. But he needs to fight a guy with some notoriety. It can’t just be an older guy who nobody’s ever heard of, right? So he’s always fought smaller guys, so the boxer would definitely have to be smaller if the other guys that he’s fought have been smaller, right?

“So a little bit older, a little bit smaller…you don’t want him to be too big of a puncher. Because let’s face it. Paul is the star here. You wanna make sure you groom the star the right way in fights where he’s at risk but he’s gonna be able to win the fight.

Jake Paul
Getty Images

“So we’ve got a little bit older, a little bit smaller, gonna hit him so maybe not the biggest puncher, uhh…Paulie Malignaggi,” Malignaggi concluded with a dramatic pause while briefly staring into the camera.

Malignaggi is 41 years old. His most recent professional boxing match was in a 2017 KO loss to Sam Eggington. On the other side, Jake Paul is only 25, and he was on the giving end of a KO in his most recent bout, which took place last December against Tyron Woodley.

Last year, Malignaggi was critical of Ben Askren for his showing against Paul, stating that Askren fought with a lack of self-worth. Should he be selected as Paul’s next opponent, perhaps “The Magic Man” can show Askren and Paul’s other three victims how it’s done.

Would you be interested in watching a boxing match between Jake Paul & Paulie Malignaggi?

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Paulie Malignaggi Echoes Bisping’s Analysis Of McGregor The Bully

Paulie Malignaggi shares Michael Bisping’s belief that Conor McGregor is handpicking his unwilling opponents.

The bad blood between Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi dates back to 2017 ever since an infamous sparring session. McGregor obtained …

Conor McGregor, Paulie Malignaggi, Michael Bisping

Paulie Malignaggi shares Michael Bisping’s belief that Conor McGregor is handpicking his unwilling opponents.

The bad blood between Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi dates back to 2017 ever since an infamous sparring session. McGregor obtained the services of the former boxing champion to help him prepare for his superfight against Floyd Mayweather. This alliance would soon go off the rails after McGregor leaked footage of him getting the better of Malignaggi during one of their spars.

Conor McGregor Paulie Malignaggi fight
Image via Conor McGregor’s Instagram account

Speaking of going off the rails, McGregor has continued to make headlines for doing just that, most recently in an alleged assault of Italian DJ Francesco Facchinetti. Michael Bisping noticed a pattern in these incidents where McGregor is reported to be the aggressor in unpredictable altercations. He argued that McGregor is becoming a bully by picking on those who pose no true threat to him.

McGregor’s old nemesis Paulie Malignaggi has noticed the same thing and even used himself as an example to illustrate why the phrase “going off the rails” doesn’t really fit McGregor’s temperament.

“Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Malignaggi began in an interview with The Schmo before diving into McGregor’s latest controversy. “I don’t know why [Francesco Facchinetti] got hit. No matter how much he disrespected him—and I doubt he disrespected him because I heard he was a fan of Conor—but so was the guy who took the picture with Conor a couple years ago and Conor smashed his iPhone, right? So I don’t think it matters to Conor if the guy’s a fan or the guy’s a hater. I think Conor just goes off the rails.

“No, I’m gonna rephrase that. He doesn’t go off the rails. He knows who he can bully. Because if you’re the kind of person who goes off the rails, you go off the rails and sometimes you go off the rails even when it’s at your detriment and might be (at) your risk. 

Video: Conor McGregor and Paul Malignaggi come face to face at Grand Arrival event

“For example—and I gotta say it—when I was in his face in Vegas, I said, ‘Where’s your balls? Bring your balls.’ If a guy goes off the rails, he’s gonna hit me there, right? A guy who hits a guy in a pub, a guy who hits the poor DJ, honestly, Franchesco Facchinetti, I mean, I gotta say, this is not a guy who goes off the rails. He purposely does these things. He went after Machine Gun Kelly at the Barclays Center. I feel like if this is a guy who goes off the rails, you go off the rails no matter what. But why were you controlling yourself with me, bro?”

Paulie Malignaggi Blasts Conor McGregor’s Fanbase

At this point, Malignaggi turned his attention McGregor’s fans, who he believes lacks masculinity and self-value if they continue to defend their hero.

“At a certain point, anybody defending this guy, they got a little bit too much pussy in them,” Malignaggi assessed. “Because if you’re defending these actions, you probably got a little too much pussy in you. Because I think you’re trying to vicariously live through a guy that you probably wish you could be like but you can’t. Because that’s the only reason that you could ever defend certain actions, punk actions, of a guy like that.”

Paulie Malignaggi most recently participated in a celebrity boxing bout against stand-up comedian Corey B, this after he lost to McGregor’s close friend and teammate Artem Lobov in a 2019 bare-knuckle boxing match. As for his next venture, if McGregor finds himself embroiled in another controversy, you can expect Malignaggi to again lend some of his time along with his two cents.

Continue Reading Paulie Malignaggi Echoes Bisping’s Analysis Of McGregor The Bully at MMA News.