YouTuber Jake Paul is seemingly not shying away from boxing a UFC fighter next, but just don’t expect it to be the lightweight GOAT.
“The Problem Child” has taken out every man he’s met inside the boxing ring by either KO or TKO. In his most recent outing, competing for Triller Fight Club in April, Paul defeated former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren by first-round TKO.
Since then, he’s been challenged by several former and current UFC fighters, including Kamaru Usman, Tyron Woodley and Chris Leben. “The Problem Child” has also confirmed on several occasions that UFC superstars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are on the top of the list of fighters he wants to box.
One MMA superstar Paul doesn’t want to see in the ring is former UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The Eagle” is one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history, retiring with a 29-0 record in October after defending his 155-pound strap for the third time.
On Tuesday, Paul was asked several questions by fans on Instagram and he took the time to answer some of them.
One fan asked Paul if he would be interested in boxing The Eagle, writing, “Wanna have a match with Khabib?”
“No I love Russia and Khabib,” Paul responded.
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UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman Said He Would ‘Take Care’ of Paul
Although The Problem Child isn’t interested in trying his hands against Nurmagomedov in the boxing ring, he has said on several occasions he’d like to face the UFC’s welterweight champion. Kamaru Usman recently defended his 170-pound belt for the fourth time by knocking out Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021.
Masvidal and Paul have a history as The Problem Child spent some time with “Gamebred” inside a gym preparing for his boxing match with Askren. Paul even attended UFC 261 live to support Masvidal.
Since then, Usman and Paul have gone back and forth through social media and traditional media.
Speaking with TMZ last month, Usman said that if there isn’t a challenger that emerges at welterweight, he’ll consider boxing an “Internet guy.”
“If these guys don’t show me anything, maybe I’ll go pull out one of these guys who think they can fight, they can box, one of these Internet guys and beat the s*** out of them,” Usman said.
Usman also said he would “take care” of Paul.
Paul Accepted Usman’s Challenge, Unclear If the Two Will Actually Box
Paul reacted to “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” comments to TMZ that same day, accepting his challenge.
“Challenge accepted,” Paul tweeted. “[Usman] if your boss Dana gives you permission to box me and make more money than you ever have, let me know and we can lace them up. I promise it will be your biggest pay day.”
Since then, the two have taken shots at each other on Twitter, however it’s unclear if a match will happen as Usman is contracted to the UFC.
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Jake Paul Doesn’t Want to Box UFC Superstar: ‘I Love’ Him