It seems that Jake Paul is leaving the door wide open for a potential move to MMA.
Love him or hate him, it is hard to deny the impact that the younger Paul brother has had on the world of combat sports, particularly in boxing. Although, by taking on and beating former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and relentlessly attacking UFC President Dana White, he has also had his hands into the world of MMA, at least to some degree. This has led some to wonder if we might see Jake Paul switch from the ring to the cage at some point down the line.
Speaking at the press conference for his upcoming rematch with Woodley, Paul explained that he not only plans on competing in MMA, but he’ll be getting leadership from American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez as well as former UFC lightweight champ turned budding trainer, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I’m gonna go get coached up by [Javier] Mendez, Team Khabib,” Paul said (h/t LowKickMMA). “That’s that. They’re down — 100 percent. 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’ve gotta go 10-0, 12-0 in boxing first, and then I’ll hit that MMA fight.”
If he does decide to transition to MMA, it will be interesting to see where Paul ends up fighting, as White has made it clear that he has no interest in working with the YouTuber, co-promoting or otherwise. On the other hand, the UFC bossman has also expressed doubts in all kinds of other situations, which ultimately end up changing.
First things first, Paul will have to get through Tyron Woodley a second time, on December 18th. Nevertheless, people will certainly be watching out for a potential move to MMA at some point down the line.
Watch the full presser in this video below: