Getty Jake Paul celebrates after defeating Ben Askren in their cruiserweight bout during Triller Fight Club at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
YouTuber Jake Paul has forced himself into the combat sports world where he has become one of the most talked-about figures.
Whether it’s his recent brawl with Floyd Mayweather, his KO of Ben Askren in the boxing ring, or his constant poking at UFC stars, “The Problem Child” knows how to market himself.
Paul has been able to keep up the shtick for one main reason: he hasn’t lost inside the boxing ring. All in all, he’s finished four opponents, including his viral KO of NBA point guard Nate Robinson and his stoppage of a former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion, Askren.
So, who is next for Paul?
A lot of fighters have thrown their name in the hat challenging The Problem Child, including former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, The Ultimate Fighter season one veteran Chris Leben and UFC legend BJ Penn.
However for Paul, he likely has two main objectives: not to lose and get a step closer to his ultimate goal, boxing Conor McGregor. Paul has gone on record saying that he wants to box the UFC superstar within the next two years. However, The Problem Child likely needs to get his hand raised a few more times before enticing “Notorious,” who has shown no interest in the match.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Paul said he wants to box one of McGregor’s biggest rivals next, Nate Diaz. If Paul somehow earned a victory over Diaz in the boxing ring, it would be hard for McGregor to deny Paul at that point. But Diaz still has two fights left on his UFC contract and is scheduled to compete at UFC 263 on June 12.
Looking at Paul’s likely two main objectives, not to lose and box McGregor, there is a matchup out there that seems logical for The Problem Child.
And that is Dillon Danis.
Danis is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt, MMA fighter and McGregor’s good friend. “El Jefe” has worked with the Irishman for many of his camps and regularly posts about McGregor on social media.
A week after Paul’s victory over Askren during Triller’s event on April 24, Danis shared a fight poster on Instagram of himself and Paul. See below:
The latest UFC news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on UFC newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on UFC Newsletter!
Danis & Paul Are Enemies, Several Reasons for Paul to Want Danis as His Next Opponent
Danis has a heated rivalry with Paul and has repeatedly expressed interest in boxing him. And if Danis wasn’t recovering from a knee injury, there was a good chance he would have boxed Paul last month instead of Askren.
From Paul’s perspective, there are several pros for boxing Danis. First, it’s a very winnable matchup. Danis is known for his jiu-jitsu and not his striking. El Jefe’s only fought in two professional MMA bouts and he used his ground skills to earn his 2-0 record. The Problem Child would likely be a sizeable favorite.
Next, Danis would do a good job building the fight. Danis and Paul are effective trash talkers who know how to leverage social media to troll and garner attention.
Third, Paul would have the chance to defeat McGregor’s good friend. And if he did, he would likely get some sort of reaction from the Irishman.
Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Danis Claims Triller Wants Him vs. Paul Next
While speaking with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on May 6, Danis reaffirmed that he wants to box Paul next instead of fight in MMA. Danis told Helwani that Paul originally wanted to box him instead of Askren, however El Jefe needed “one month” to heal his kneel. He said The Problem Child then moved on to Askren.
El Jefe said that he has recently spoken with Triller CEO Ryan Kavanaugh about the possible boxing bout with Paul. Danis claimed that Kavanaugh wants to promote Paul vs. Danis next, something El Jefe wants as his knee is “okay” now.
And for how the boxing bout would go, Danis predicted a TKO finish within six rounds.
Danis Is Currently Signed With Bellator, Bellator President Willing to Negotiate With Paul
Danis is currently under contract with Bellator MMA. He has fought both his professional MMA fights in the promotion, submitting Kyle Walker in 2018 and Max Humphrey in 2019. Although UFC president Dana White hasn’t shown interest in allowing his contracted fighters to box Paul, the Bellator president has.
Bellator president Scott Coker recently said that he’s open to working with either Jake or Logan Paul. In an interview with MMA Fighting last month, Coker said he has respect for the Paul brothers and would consider allowing one of his fighters to box either of them. However, the president also said he would like to then see a rematch stipulation where the two would then fight in an MMA match.
The fact that Coker is willing to sit at a table with Jake Paul is a great first step. Paul doesn’t want to compete in MMA. So possibly if the dollar figure and promotional upside are right for Bellator and Coker, Paul may be able to negotiate himself out of the MMA rematch stipulation.
READ NEXT: Fighters React to Kamaru Usman’s KO of Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261