UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith blasts Jake Paul for claiming he had 'early signs of CTE'
Jake Paul is making news once again, and this time, it's a touch more controversial. Speaking to reporters on Thursday's media day, Paul revealed that he is showing early signs of CTE, but continues to go on merely for the love of the sport.
However, this admission wasn't well-received by UFC light-heavyweight contender, Anthony 'Lionheart' Smith. Taking to Twitter in an attempt to discredit Jake Paul's recent statement, Smith said:
"My take: 1. He’s exactly as stupid and careless as we all thought. 2. Lying about this to be cool or whatever shows his absolute disrespect for the real fighters and their families that have and will suffer from the very real, devastating effects of CTE. He’s disgusting."
Having only been two fights old in the professional arena, Jake Paul was asked if he was concerned about facing legitimate world champions. Going on to claim that he was already bearing the brunt of it with acute mental health issues, Paul said:
"It’s a dangerous sport. That’s why, when people question my dedication to it—it’s like, I’m showing up every single day. I’m putting my mental health on the line, my brain is on the line. Like you said, I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE.”
While mental illness has been a topic of discussion quite regularly in the recent past, tests to detect early signs of CTE are few and far between. And if Jake Paul is truly showing indications of the illness, retaining his boxing license may turn out to be an area of concern.
When is Jake Paul fighting and where?
Jake Paul and Ben Askren are scheduled to square off at the Mercedez-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 17th, 2021, as part of the Triller pay-per-view attraction.
Just a month after his knockout victory against Nate Robinson, Paul issued an open challenge to Ben Askren that was later accepted by the retired MMA fighter. Coming back to action after a hip surgery, Askren is a disappointing +148 underdog against the YouTube sensation according to betting standards.
“I don’t think Ben will be able to get near me,” Paul had told MMA Junkie. “My distance control is 10 times better than his. And if he does, he’s going to get busted up on the inside. That’s one thing we really worked on in this camp, which is my inside fighting game. He can come in, but he’s going to get cracked. If he wants to hold me, he’s just going to be losing by points," he added.