6 days Ago
Following his unanimous decision win over Mike Tyson on Friday night AT&T Stadium on Netflix, Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul wants to face another one of the biggest names in combat sports. Paul, who won his fifth straight fight since his only career loss to Tommy Fury back in February 2023, improved to 11-1 as a pro boxer, though most of his matches have been gimmicky bouts against retired or past-their-prime MMA fighters. Tyson is just the fourth legit boxer Paul has fought, however, he’s three decades older than the 27-year-old social media star.
Paul already has wins over former UFC fighters Mike Perry, Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren in the boxing ring, and now he’s got his sights set on one of the UFC’s top draws, Conor McGregor. Taking to X shortly after his win over Tyson, Paul challenged McGregor to a future mixed martial arts bout. “Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170lbs.
That’s never happening. But let’s run it in MMA. No weight class.
Just like how it used to be done. But you won’t.” Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170lbs.
That’s never happening. But let’s run it in MMA. No weight class.
Just like how it used to be done. But you won’t It’s easy to see why Paul would challenge McGregor considering his drawing power. McGregor’s 2017 bout against Floyd Mayweather, dubbed “the Money Fight,” drew 5.
3 million total pay-per-view buys and generated close to $500 million. The UFC cards McGregor has main-evented have also drawn a combined 13.4 million viewers and generated millions of dollars in gate money.
Paul’s seven pay-per-view bouts have generated 2.75 million buys and $152 million, and locking in a bout against McGregor would surely do crazy numbers in terms of PPV buys. Gary A.
Vasquez-Imagn Images However, it should also be noted that McGregor is under UFC contract, so any potential MMA fight between the two would have to happen in a UFC Octagon — something president Dana White, who’s not been shy about his dislike for Paul, has already said he has no interest in doing. While Paul has been able to build a decent boxing resume, in challenging McGregor — a former two-division UFC champion with a 22-6 record and 20 of those 22 wins coming by knockout or submission — he may have bitten off a little more than he can chew. Paul has no background in any of the traditional MMA fighting styles (wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, kick boxing, Muay Thai), though he did start training MMA last January after signing multi-year deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
McGregor, on the other hand, is one of the more decorated fighters in UFC history with wins over several former champions including Eddie Alvarez, Jose Aldo and Max Halloway..
