Getty Jake Paul
Internet personality and boxer Jake Paul wouldn’t take a boxing match with reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Paul was recently a guest on UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley’s podcast, “TimboSugarShow.” And during his appearance, “Sugar” asked Paul if he’d ever consider lacing up boxing gloves to meet Adesanya inside the ring.
In short, “The Problem Child” wouldn’t. He praised Adesanya, saying “The Last Stylebender” was one of the greatest strikers mixed martial arts has ever seen. And coupled with his 6-foot-4-inch stature, Paul would stay clear of the middleweight king.
“Honestly bro, he’s like probably the only fighter in the UFC that I wouldn’t fight,” Paul said via Middle Easy. “He’s tall as f***, and bro, his striking… I mean, I think he’s probably, arguably, one of the best strikers- top three ever in the history of the sport, you know? But there are a lot of UFC fighters and yeah, he’s literally really the only one that I wouldn’t [fight].”
Paul, who boasts a 5-0 boxing record, has defeated two former UFC combatants. He holds two wins over ex-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, which includes one victory by knockout, as well as a first-round TKO finish against former ONE and Bellator 170-pound champion Ben Askren.
The Problem Child was scheduled to fight Hasim Rahman Jr. earlier this month at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but the event was canceled after Paul accused Rahman Jr. of not controlling his weight per the contract.
Adesanya Is Scheduled to Defend His Belt in November Against Alex Pereira
Adesanya is set to enter the Octagon for his sixth 185-pound title defense when he battles Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12. The five-round championship tilt will go down at Madison Square Garden.
The Last Stylebender and “Poatan” have met twice as kickboxers, with Pereira beating Adesanya both times. And when they fought for the second time, which took place in 2017, the Brazilian knocked out Adesanya.
They both last competed in July at UFC 278 when they both went home victorious. Adesanya defended his strap against Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision, whereas Pereira starched Sean Strickland by first-round KO.
Pereira Doesn’t Think Adesanya Will Last 5 Rounds Against Him
Pereira will enter the cage with the confidence of two wins under his belt over The Last Stylebender. And when the former two-division Glory kickboxing champion was interviewed on the Super Lutas YouTube channel, he predicted that Adesanya wouldn’t make it to the final horn.
“I can tell you that it will be impossible for him not to engage, if he’s within my reach I will hurt him,” Poatan said via Sportskeeda.com. “And five rounds…he won’t make it, five rounds? And I come close, you can see in the fights that I come close, I have a very good defense. He will want to attack or counterattack, but I can hurt him with my defense too.”
Pereira is 6-1 as a professional mixed martial artist. He made his UFC debut in November 2021 and has rattled off three wins in the promotion, including a TKO against Andreas Michailidis, a unanimous decision over Bruno Silva and as mentioned, a knockout against Strickland.