Written by If Jake Paul needs a debut opponent in mixed martial arts, a familiar foe is willing to step up.
Paul intends to make his MMA debut after partnering with PFL. CEO Peter Murray expects “The Problem Child” to enter the cage in 2025.
Paul’s lone loss in boxing came by split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. Fury spent some time training MMA with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and would love nothing more than to beat Paul in MMA, too.
“Jake Paul’s in the PFL, isn’t he? I’m going to smash his face in when I get good at MMA,” Fury said on his YouTube channel. “I’ll beat him in boxing and the cage. Big useless prick. I reckon a year-and-a-half to two years of training until I’ll beat him in a fight, no problem, in the cage.
“He’s got the funds, he’s got the best trainers in the world, he’s got the best sparring in the world. So he’s doing all right. But no match for me. I swear to you, next time I fight him, I’ll knock him out. In MMA, I just want to give him a big fat (knee). All elbows, no fists.”
Since losing to Fury in the ring, Paul (10-1) rebounded with four consecutive wins, most recently a TKO of Mike Perry in July. He takes on 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson (50-6-2) on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.