It’s not a megafight in terms of competition, it’s a megafight in terms of dollars.
Unquestionably, the biggest name in mixed martial arts is Conor McGregor. He’s the most famous UFC fighter in history and his popularity has led to millions of PPV buys for the promotion.
Although many fight fans don’t want to admit it, another major name in combat sports right now is YouTuber Jake Paul. Paul, who has millions of followers on social media, is preparing for his boxing bout with former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren, taking place on Triller Fight Club on April 17.
Paul has made it clear that his goal with boxing is to eventually face off against “Notorious.” And should he beat Askren, a world-class fighter, the amount of buzz surrounding Paul will likely increase dramatically.
GettyConor McGregor & Jake Paul
In a perfect world for “The Problem Child,” he sees a boxing match down with McGregor within the next two years.
“I think we both are on a road to each other,” Paul said during the post-fight presser via MMA Fighting. “He wants another boxing fight. He wants to fight Manny Pacquiao. He would get toasted. He just keeps on taking Ls. So I think him fighting me would not only be his money fight, but it would technically be the easiest challenge, right? Fighting Jake Paul would probably be easier than fighting Manny Pacquiao and it would be just as big.
“I think we’re a lot closer to a Jake Paul-Conor McGregor fight than anyone thinks. I think it could happen in the next 24 months.”
McGregor is currently scheduled to fight Dustin Poirier in a trilogy match on July 10 at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Paul ‘Hopes’ McGregor Beats Poirier to Make Their Potential Fight More Exciting
Paul recognizes that for the potential fight with McGregor to be as big as possible, the Irishman likely needs to defeat Poirier on July 10. Notorious made his Octagon return in January at UFC 257 and he lost to “The Diamond” via second-round TKO. With the victory, Poirier avenged his 2014 loss at featherweight to McGregor.
“Conor’s the big name,” Paul said via MMA Fighting. “He’s a A-list celebrity, and there are very few fighters who are A-list celebrities. So we’ll see what happens. I hope he wins against Dustin, I guess, so that the fight becomes more exciting.”
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Paul Is Ready to Prove the Doubters Wrong By Defeating Askren
During the presser, The Problem Child said a major motivator for him is fight fans not believing in him. Paul has been training as a boxer for three years and has a professional record of 2-0, defeating YouTuber AnEsonGib and NBA point guard Nate Robinson.
UFC president Dana White has gone as far as to claim that he would bet $1 million dollars that Askren will defeat Paul.
“I’m excited for Dana White to lose a million dollars,” Paul said. “But other than that, I’m going to prove millions and millions and millions of people wrong and they have motivated me to become the best version of myself over the last couple of years.”
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Conor McGregor Megafight: ‘Could Happen in the Next 24 Months’