YouTuber Jake Paul believes he's ready to take on UFC star Conor McGregor
YouTuber Jake Paul has once again set the combat sports world abuzz by claiming that he’s ready to fight UFC icon and MMA megastar Conor McGregor in a boxing ring.
Paul believes that he will fight McGregor sooner rather than later. He proposed that the fight would be contested under boxing rules and that he would defeat combat sports legend McGregor.
Jake Paul believes he can defeat top-tier MMA fighters in a professional boxing match
Speaking to Barstool Breakfast, Jake Paul reiterated his previous claims that he’d love to fight MMA fighters in the boxing ring.
Paul weighed in on going from fighting non-combat sports athletes like his upcoming opponent Nate Robinson to athletes who are trained professional fighters like McGregor, Ben Askren, and Jorge Masvidal. Paul stated:
“Yeah, I’m ready for that jump now. Hey, it sounds crazy, but look – I’m sparring high, high-level professional boxers in Las Vegas; undefeated guys, guys who are Golden Glove amateur champions, guys with 25 pro fights, guys who are (professional boxer) Caleb Plant’s sparring partners, guys who are Canelo’s (Alvarez) sparring partners. I’m fighting guys with WBA, WBC championship belts. And I’m head to head with them, going head to head.”
“And that level of competition is harder than what these MMA guys are bringing. These MMA guys have to go into the gym and they have to focus on elbows and kicks and Jiu-Jitsu and takedowns and takedown defense, and all this extra stuff. I’m only boxing, so when they come into the boxing ring, my skill-set is higher than theirs right now. I’m ready for these guys right now. So Ben Askren, Masvidal, the McGregors, you know, they’re gonna get the smoke.”
“And people will see, you know, I have to prove myself, right? I’m talking a lot. I know I’m talking a lot, but it’s because I’m confident. And so, November 28th, it’ll be the first stepping stone of, ‘Wow! He beat an actual athlete. Then after that, once I take down a professional MMA fighter, people will be like, I think that’s when people will turn their heads and be like, ‘Okay. This kid wasn’t just saying sh** to blow smoke.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Jake Paul is confident that a fight between him and Conor McGregor will come to fruition
Furthermore, in an interview with BT Sport, Jake Paul similarly explained that he holds an advantage over MMA fighters because he focuses solely on improving his boxing skills.
Paul believes that since MMA fighters like Conor McGregor have to focus on being well-rounded and training several other martial arts too, their boxing skills won’t be good enough to beat him in a professional boxing match.
Jake Paul also emphasized that the fight between him and McGregor will surely happen. Paul said:
“Jake Paul vs. Conor McGregor will happen. It will happen. It will happen! A hundred percent. And people think that’s crazy, ‘Uh, Jake’s gonna get his a** beat’. Cool, we’ll see. We’ll see.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Paul is presently set to fight on the undercard of the upcoming Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition boxing match.
Paul will face professional basketball player Nate Robinson in a cruiserweight bout under professional boxing rules. The event will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, on November 28th, 2020.
On the other hand, McGregor is all set to face Dustin Poirier in a lightweight MMA bout at UFC 257. The McGregor vs. Poirier matchup is scheduled to take place on January 23rd, 2021.
Would you like to see McGregor fight YouTuber Paul in a boxing match? Sound off in the comments.