Jake Paul says he's ready to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA - “All I would have to do is just work on my wrestling skills”
Jake Paul has asserted that he’s ready to face former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in an MMA fight. The 25-year-old believes he can out-strike Nurmagomedov. Paul added that all he has to do is work on his wrestling skills.
YouTube megastar-turned-boxer Jake Paul recently received an offer to compete for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC MMA promotion from Nurmagomedov himself. The cruiserweight boxer replied by suggesting that he’ll surely compete in an MMA fight, provided that his first fight in Eagle FC is against Nurmagomedov.
по рукам. только если я буду драться с тобой первым.
deal. only if I fight you first. twitter.com/TeamKhabib/sta…
On that note, Jake Paul has appeared on the latest edition of The MMA Hour and opened up on a potential fight against ‘The Eagle'. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Paul stated:
“I would fight Khabib in MMA if they wanted to make that offer. Yeah ‘cause that would be like, exciting. Like, that would excite me. And especially, like, if I had more time to train. That’d be a massive fight, right? Probably, a million, two million, pay-per-view buys. And all I would have to do is just work on my wrestling skills ‘cause I could out-strike him standing up.”
Helwani chimed in and noted Nurmagomedov is still likely under contract with the UFC despite having retired from MMA in October 2020. He indicated that Paul would therefore have to get the UFC to co-promote a potential fight between Nurmagomedov and himself.
Paul responded to this by simply clarifying that although he's been a vocal critic of the UFC and UFC president Dana White in regards to fighter pay, he doesn’t hate the UFC. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov has consistently maintained that he isn’t going to compete as a professional MMA fighter ever again.
Watch Jake Paul’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Jake Paul willing to make MMA debut against Conor McGregor at middleweight
A few days ago, Paul (5-0 boxing) tweeted that he’s prepared to make his MMA debut against UFC megastar Conor McGregor at middleweight. Intriguingly, McGregor has been bulking up as of late and teased a possible move to middleweight last year. Paul’s tweet read as follows:
“. @danawhite when I make my MMA debut, I could cut 20 pounds & do it at Welterweight / 170 pounds. That’s what all UFC fighters do and many have destroyed their bodies & minds doing it. But I’m gonna do it at Middleweight (185). Health first. PS Conor walking around at 190”
. @danawhite when I make my MMA debut, I could cut 20 pounds & do it at Welterweight / 170 pounds. That’s what all UFC fighters do and many have destroyed their bodies & minds doing it.
But I’m gonna do it at Middleweight (185). Health first.
PS Conor walking around at 190 https://t.co/ifR8ed3FTE
Nevertheless, the consensus is that Paul is unlikely to compete in an MMA fight anytime soon. Paul and former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. have recently been lobbying for a boxing match against one another next.