Jake Paul praised by Cris Cyborg for changes brought about in combat sports - "He has changed the sport"
Cris Cyborg was in attendance at Madison Square Garden to witness Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, the biggest women's boxing match in the history of the sport. It must have been something special for Cyborg to witness as she's played a big part in several of the largest and most historic women's MMA fights.
Following the event, she swung by The MMA Hour in person to discuss a potential future boxing bout. Cyborg has been talking about stepping into the ring for years now and as her Bellator contract expires, she sounds ready to finally pull the trigger. Perhaps she'll team up with Jake Paul, who was instrumental in building Amanda Serrano up into a high profile opponent for Katie Taylor.
When asked about Paul, Cyborg said:
"We did [the Dana White diss] video together and I talk a little bit for him. I think what he did for Amanda Serrano was amazing. He's changed the sport and of course with Eddie [Hearn] together. But they really did change the sport. He talked a lot, a lot of things that is true, and I think he's doing a lot that is good for boxing and women."
She also supports Paul's efforts to raise awareness for how poorly UFC fighters are paid. She said:
"I believe we are the stars, we are supposed to be getting paid better, good. Because I start this, everyone throw rocks at me. But you see other fighters doing it, Jon Jones, Ngannou. And Jake, a lot of things he say is true."
Watch the full interview with Cris Cyborg on The MMA Hour below:
Eddie Hearn considers crossover fight between Cris Cyborg and Katie Taylor
Eddie Hearn has been interested in putting together a boxing match between Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor and MMA legend Cris Cyborg since 2020.
Watch Cyborg vs Arlene Blencowe live on Sky Sports Mix on Friday at 3amLet’s do it! twitter.com/SkySports/stat…
With women's boxing finally taking off, Taylor vs. Cyborg seems like the perfect big money fight. The only problem is that Hearn already has the perfect big money fight for Katie Taylor since an immediate rematch with Amanda Serrano in Ireland is in the works.
On the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Hearn said:
"We keep talking about do you look at a crossover fight to an MMA fighter. Maybe in the past, Cyborg was there. I spoke to her, and she wants the Taylor fight. Some of Katie's management have talked to Holly Holm ... But how do you match the magnitude of Saturday? - and I guess a Cyborg or Holly Holm can do that. But it's going to be difficult to avoid the demand and the draw of Taylor vs. Serrano 2 - and Katie is saying that, you never get Katie saying that, and so many people are.”
If Hearn isn't interested, Jake Paul will undoubtedly be happy to bring Cris Cyborg under his Most Valuable Promotions banner. Cyborg hasn't been generating mainstream headlines on Bellator cards, but some unique Paul-style matchmaking could be just what's needed to build her back up to her early stardom.