From ‘Platinum’ to ‘Iron’ and now it seems to be ‘Stone’; no, we’re not talking about precious metals or gems. This is the route Jake Paul appears to have mapped out for himself. Last Saturday, he destroyed ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry. In November, he will circle back to ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. But from what he has been saying and the vibes reverberating from the Amazon, it seems a fight with ‘Stone Hands or ‘Poatan’ Alex Pereira could be in the offing. At least that is what he wants next, as he poured his heart out in his podcast ‘BS w/ Jake Paul’ after the Perry fight.

In front of a packed house, ‘The Problem Child’ defeated former UFC fighter and bare-knuckle king Mike Perry by a sixth-round knockout. As usual with his victories, soon discussions over his choice of opponents, their skillset, etc. follow. But the Ohioan, it seems, is hardly perturbed. No boxers, no problem; let’s stick with MMA fighters. So why not challenge the best there is?

The next on Jake Paul’s crosshairs

Alongside the co-hosts, Jake Paul’s father and elder brother had also joined to celebrate his latest victory. It started with the usual toasting of the win to the victor. The conversation started with the beef that seems to have picked up between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor. The former shared his views after ‘Kill Jasper’ read out ‘The Notorious’ tweet, where he called out ‘The Problem Child’ a ‘pi**bag.’

Jake Paul accused the Irishman of ducking a fight with him. He said he wanted to face a challenge far greater than the one posed by McGregor—someone like Alexis Pereira. “I want Alex Pereira; I want the heavyweight champ“, he said. Then he added how naysayers have been discussing at free will the weight difference between him and Mike Perry.

He stressed, “People say everything about weight difference: 40, 40, whatever, Mike, I was 212 in the ring tonight.” According to him, a ten-pound difference is a fairly common call in boxing. Stating that since Alex Pereira ‘rehydrates to 240’, he said that he’s more than happy to go against a bona fide champion like the Brazilian, a former kickboxing champion who stands 6 feet and 4 inches tall. So once he knocks down a two-division champion from the UFC, probably the mouths will be shut.

Later, while slamming all the critics, Jake Paul revealed how talks of a potential match with Pereira emerged. Seemingly to a poser about whom he should be going against next, the Brazilian champion received a response: Jake Paul. So ‘The Problem Child’ reminded everyone that perhaps they should go back and check how he had beaten Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley. All those who doubted that he wouldn’t be able to beat Mike Perry, he proved them wrong. Jake Paul said, “I just keep on doing it, and by the way, with ease, like I got hit three or four times tonight.”

It seems the Pereira-Paul lineup has been gaining increasing traction ever since it emerged. From Gilbert Burns to ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley, MMA figures and channels have been discussing the hot topic. Then what about the UFC light heavyweight champion?

The other side of the bank

The Sao Paulo-born fighter incidentally has a professional boxing fight under the records. He even had a face-time conversation with ‘The Problem Child’ sometime after the latter called him out during the in-ring interview.

Fan saw a short clip of the ‘Poatan’ getting out of his car and throwing punches in the air as if announcing that he was ready! But jokes or memes apart, let’s hear it from an insider who reportedly sparred with Pereira. Zhilei Zhang, it seems, had been in the ring with the Brazilian champion. The latter’s skills with gloves reportedly impressed him heavily. So much so that Zhang believes that he might have a good chance in boxing’s heavyweight division as well!

The line-up between ‘The Problem Child’ and the ‘Poatan’ is a mouth-watering proposition. If the fight happens by next year, given the kind of following both fighters draw from their respective sports, it will be one of the key trendsetters of 2025.

What is your take on a fight between Jake Paul and Alex Pereira? Who will be your pick for the win?