Stephen Thompson gives his verdict on how Jake Paul would fare against UFC legend Conor McGregor
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson has addressed the ongoing speculation regarding how Jake Paul would fare in a fight against Conor McGregor.
Thompson is of the opinion that UFC legend Conor McGregor would easily defeat YouTube superstar Jake Paul, be it in an MMA fight or a boxing match.
Stephen Thompson says that Jake Paul would not do well in a boxing match against Conor McGregor
On a recent episode put forth via his official Stephen Wonderboy Thompson YouTube channel, fan-favorite UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson addressed a potential fight between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor.
Stephen was accompanied by his brother Tony and their father Ray Thompson in the video. They broke down Paul’s chances of beating several different fighters and non-combat sports public personalities whom Paul has called out.
Paul has consistently noted that he doesn’t intend to compete in an MMA fight, but rather wants to face the individuals whom he’s called out in professional boxing matches.
Stephen Thompson highlighted the aforementioned fact in his YouTube video. Thompson noted that the breakdown of a potential fight between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor would strictly be from a boxing perspective only, adding that they’re also removing the variable of the ‘puncher’s chance’ from the equation.
Thompson and the others reiterated that the analysis of the Paul vs. McGregor boxing match would be from a skill vs. skill perspective, disregarding the fact that every fighter has a puncher’s chance and that anything can happen in a given fight.
One ought to note that McGregor is an MMA fighter and not really a pro boxer (the Floyd Mayweather Jr. one-off fight notwithstanding).
Stephen Thompson weighed in on this fact and claimed that despite not being a full-time boxer, Conor McGregor would still have no problem in defeating Jake Paul in a professional boxing bout. Stephen Thompson stated:
“Not a chance. Not a chance! Even though Jake Paul is the bigger opponent, Conor McGregor has…I mean, the dude (McGregor) has sparred the Mountain.” Stephen Thompson jested, referring to McGregor’s sparring session with Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, the actor who portrayed ‘The Mountain’ in popular TV series ‘Game of Thrones’.
Stephen Thompson continued, “He (Conor McGregor) has sparred some of the best. He’s fought some of the best strikers in the world! In the entire world! And Jake Paul’s calling on Conor?”
“Not a chance…I think Conor would piece him (Jake Paul) up. Yes, Jake Paul, he’ll piece you up!” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Additionally, Ray Thompson and Tony Thompson also asserted that McGregor would easily defeat Paul.
In fact, Stephen, Ray, and Tony unanimously suggested that not only would McGregor beat Paul, but he would do so in devastating fashion. They noted that even in the MMA realm, McGregor primarily relies on his brilliant striking skills to defeat his opponents.
YouTube megastar Jake Paul has two professional boxing matches on his resume. Paul’s professional boxing debut was a first-round TKO victory over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib in January 2020.
This was followed by the brutal second-round KO win over former NBA player Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition match’s undercard in November.
On the other hand, McGregor also last competed in January, besting Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone via TKO merely 40 seconds into the first round of their fight.
What are your views on Jake Paul’s chances against Conor McGregor in a professional boxing match? Sound off in the comments.