Riding the wave of his recent success inside the boxing ring which has led him to a professional record of 6-0 – though not without an asterisk or two – Jake Paul has now inked a multi-year mixed martial arts (MMA) contract to compete in the Professional Fighters League, placing himself on a potential collision course to finally taste some pugilistic justice.
According to The New York Times, the 25-year-old internet personality-turned-professional boxer’s contract with the PFL involves competing in a brand new Super Fight division featuring influencers and celebrities “who show some level of fighting proficiency” in bouts against established professional fighters, made available to the public via pay-per-view. Because as everyone knows… the man doesn’t do anything unless there’s a guarantee of major $$$.
“He’s got a growing boxing career, but it doesn’t prevent him from entering into the sport of MMA, and we’re excited about that,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray.
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“I’ve already disrupted boxing and now it’s time to disrupt MMA.”
Jake Paul
So how slash why has this been allowed to happen?
It’s been pointed out that Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner and former CFO of the UFC, has equity in the PFL; and is a founder of this new division alongside Paul himself. Paul has also agreed to serve as Head of Fighter Advocacy – “a fancy title that means he’ll post on social media about the PFL to his millions of followers,” notes Kris Rhim of The New York Times.
As for the latter, it would appear the oft-controversial YouTuber is looking to address some of the recurring criticisms he’s faced throughout his career as a combat sports athlete, i.e. he cherry-picks opponents that simply look good on paper/opponents beyond their prime/opponents that were never known for their striking, and would crumble in a “real test” within the cage.
At the time of this writing, Jake Paul does not have a bout scheduled, but he reportedly plans to participate in a proper MMA fight this year. And in true Problem Child fashion, he’s already been calling out A-list names that would certainly make for extremely enjoyable viewing.
“Nate Diaz I’m down to fight you in your own damn sport. Let’s make it happen,” Paul said of his proposal to throw hands with the UFC retiree and combat sports free agent in a boxing match before facing off under MMA rules just six months later.
“If that’s not balls, then I don’t know what is.”
He added: “I would beat Nate Diaz up in an MMA fight. There’s nothing he could do. To me, I’ve always felt like I’ve jumped in the deep end, even in boxing, maybe besides, like, Ben Askren.”
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Jake Paul has often cited his high school experience as a wrestler as well as the two years of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training undertaken in his childhood as compelling evidence regarding his hypothetical success in MMA. Now, we’ll get to find out for certain. Again (see: the hilariously one-sided experiment above).
“The biggest thing for me would be getting the kicks down,” said Paul.
“But I’m going to start now, moving forward with some extra time I have within this camp. I’m going to put in some extra time, rolling around doing some jujitsu and learning some kicks.”
While some of you may be sceptical about all this, rest assured, the talent signed to the Professional Fighters League ain’t no joke: ranging from former UFC stars such as Fabricio Werdum and Anthony Pettis – who has offered to “welcome” Jake Paul to the world of MMA should Nate Diaz pass up on the aforementioned challenge – to the dominant Olympic gold medallist and judo champion Kayla Harrison (think the promotion’s equivalent to Ronda Rousey + Amanda Nunes).
Interesting times.
Side note: one-time rematches between any of Jake Paul’s fallen boxing opponents – Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva – under MMA rules would truly be a sight to behold.
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