In what started out as apparent banter, the possibility of a boxing match between ex-UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and social media superstar Jake Paul has escalated.
The two have gone back and forth on social media the past week, with both combatants ripping the other and showing interest in a potential clash. Bisping left MMA after suffering back-to-back defeats in 2017, and although he is blind in one eye and happily retired, he hasn’t shied away from boxing “The Problem Child.”
But, Bisping pointed out a major hurdle they’d have to face to put on the fight. Because of his eye, he likely wouldn’t receive a boxing license from United States commissions. However, “The Count” posted a video via Twitter on April 19 verifying that a First Nation jurisdiction in Alberta, Canada would sanction the boxing bout and give Bisping a boxing “permit.”
Sharing the video, Bisping wrote: “Your move @jakepaul :).”
Your move @jakepaul :)
The next day, The Problem Child responded to the former UFC 185-pound king. Paul asked Bisping to verify that he isn’t actively tied up in a UFC contract, and if he does, he’ll send Bisping a fight deal. Paul also informed The Count that he’d choose the venue, not the other way around.
“Bisping post legal confirmation that you are not under UFC contract and I will get you a contract,” Paul tweeted. “You retired in 2017 and Dana still got you by the balls. And we fight where I tell you we fight.”
.@Bisping post legal confirmation that you are not under UFC contract and I will get you a contract. You retired in 2017 and Dana still got you by the balls. And we fight where I tell you we fight.
Paul Offered Bisping $1 Million to Fight Him in a Boxing Match
The Problem Child recently offered The Count $1 million to meet him inside a boxing ring. The offer came after Bisping reacted to Paul telling Teddy Atlas that the former UFC champ was on his “hit list.”
Along with three laughing emojis, Bisping tweeted last week: “come on @jakepaul you do know I’m about your size? Surely that excludes me from your ‘hit list.’”
“I would knock you out worse than Hendo,” Paul hit back. “You’re an easy fight. But show me you can get licensed and I will show you $1M plus PPV… [eye emoji] (using this emoji because Bisping can’t use it lololololol).”
Bisping Thinks It Would Be ‘Fun’ to Beat Up Paul
The Count reacted to Paul’s big-money boxing challenge in a YouTube video on his channel. Although Bisping is very content with being out of action, he did admit that the boxing match intrigues him.
“So, do I want to fight Jake Paul?” Bisping said via MMA Fighting. “Listen, here’s the thing, I had a great career. I’m very happy with what I accomplished. I’m happily retired. I’m very, very happily retired. But I do miss the thrill of competition — and I don’t see Jake Paul as necessarily a threat. I retired from fighting because I only had one eye and I didn’t want to risk my other eye. In boxing, bigger gloves, against Jake Paul, I don’t really see him as a threat. So Jake Paul, beating you up sounds like fun.”
Bisping retired from MMA with a professional record of 30-9. He captured UFC middleweight gold and successfully defended it once before losing it to Georges St-Pierre in 2017. On the other end, Paul has boxed five times with a professional license and has never tasted defeat. He holds two wins over ex-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, as well as a victory over former multiple MMA promotion 170-pound champion Ben Askren.
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Chances of UFC Star Boxing Jake Paul Increases Dramatically