Khabib Nurmagomedov extends Eagle FC offer to Jake Paul
Khabib Nurmagomedov said the doors to his promotion, Eagle FC, are always open for Jake Paul whenever the Cleveland native decides to pursue an MMA career.
Paul, who has become a popular pro boxer by beating former UFC fighters, has been teasing an eventual transition from the ring to the octagon. 'The Problem Child' reiterated his intentions by stating he would like to fight Conor McGregor at middleweight instead of cutting an excessive amount of weight.
. @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
Surprisingly, Paul's tweet caught the attention of Nurmagomedov, who replied by offering the social media sensation the opportunity to make his MMA debut at Eagle FC. On Twitter, the former undefeated UFC lightweight champion wrote:
"the doors of @EagleFightClub always open for you and your team."
@jakepaul @danawhite the doors of @EagleFightClub always open for you and your team.
The YouTuber-turned boxer's statements came after UFC president Dana White refused to rule out Paul fighting in the octagon in the future. Appearing on an episode of the FULL SEND podcast, White stated that he thinks Paul will never fight in the UFC, but added that he'll "never say never" to that possibility.
Last month, Nurmagomedov announced that his MMA promotion will make its debut on American soil on January 28, in Miami, Florida. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Tyrone Spong and Sergei Kharitonov.
Before the reported move to Miami, Eagle FC had been staging most of its events in Russia. Former UFC stars Rashad Evans, Diego Sanchez and Kevin Lee have since been announced to be part of Nurmagomedov's roster of fighters.
Jake Paul claims Khabib Nurmagomedov will train him
Ahead of his rematch with Tyron Woodley, Jake Paul claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov and his coaches are on board with training him in MMA. During a December press conference, Paul told reporters:
"People seem to forget that I was a state wrestler, Division 1 in Ohio, one of the hardest wrestling states. I don't see why if I can do boxing at this high of a level that I couldn't do MMA at this high of a level. I'm gonna go get coached up by Jav Mendez, Team Khabib, and that's that. They're down, 100 percent."
Watch Jake Paul's full interview with ESPN MMA below:
Khabib's coach Javier Mendez has since confirmed that Paul could train at his gym. However, Mendez added that the YouTube star won't get any special treatment should he join the American Kickboxing Academy.