When can we see Jake Paul in an MMA fight? The ‘Problem Child’ signed a multi-fight, multi-year deal with the PFL last year, but mentioned no timeframe for his debut. “There is no limit to the positive impact I can make on the sport. I plan to enter the PFL SmartCage and once again show the world that anything is possible with hard work and dedication,” Jake Paul said in a statement. It’s been over a year and the social media influencer-turned-boxer still hasn’t finalized an opponent to kickstart his MMA career.

The former Disney star, who has a reputation for knocking out retired UFC stars inside the boxing ring, had offered Nate Diaz $15 million to fight in an MMA format under the PFL. However, the Stockton native denied the offer. Notably, both fighters had already faced each other in the boxing ring last year, and Diaz even agreed to a rematch in MMA format after suffering a decision loss. However, the 39-year-old fighter changed his tune later, refusing to fight in the PFL.

However, Paul is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to doing promotional work for the MMA firm. Recently, Jake Paul played the role of a moderator and host during the face-off between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, set to headline the PFL 9 event on October 19. However, in a recent video posted by the PFL titled, “Who else reacted like @jakepaul watching this for the first time,” the influencer-turned-boxer seemed to give his fans the impression that he was having second thoughts about signing with the PFL.

The video footage showed Jake Paul reacting to a gory MMA fight. He winced as one fighters had his bloodied opponent in a rear naked choke. And what’s worse? While being held in a choke, blood was shooting out from a cut above the fighter’s eye, painting the canvas red. “Oh nah! I don’t like blood and stuff. That’s crazy!” Jake Paul exclaimed, visibly flinching in discomfort. After taking a bit of time to process what he had just watched, Paul stated, “I will watch a different one.”

Witnessing Jake Paul’s reaction, the MMA fans went ballistic as they consider gore to be part and parcel of the fight business. Thus, they flooded the comment section to give Jake Paul a harsh reality check about the brutality of combat sports.

How can a boxer not handle blood?

One fan was in disbelief that Jake Paul, being a professional boxer, couldn’t handle the sight of blood. They commented, “You dont like blood but your trying to be a boxer?” Interestingly, Jake Paul did bleed from his forehead after clashing heads with Tyron Woodley during their rematch in 2021. Nevertheless, he continued fighting and even knocked out Woodley out in the sixth round. Safe to say, he is not a stranger to the sight of blood. Therefore, his dramatic reaction to the MMA fight could be a gimmick to promote the PFL.

Yet another fan took a dig at Paul for wanting to fight in MMA, but not being able to withstand a bloody match, which is a common affair in Mixed Martial arts competitions. They remarked, “Bro talks about fighting MMA fighters but can’t handle watching it? Make it make sense lol” Well, Paul is yet to make his MMA debut, and might even want to reconsider his decision to engage in an MMA fight if he isn’t ready for a bloody fight.

One fan called Jake Paul a “youtuber” who is coming to terms with the consequences of a “real fight”. They wrote, “A youtuber reacting to real fight 😂😮 shocking…” For those unversed, Paul was primarily a social media star before he decided to take the plunge and start boxing seriously after his fight with Deji in 2018.

Another fan called Paul a “poser” for not being able to watch a blood-stained battle being a fighter himself. Expressing their disdain towards Paul, they said, “The Fighters things. Posers can’t handle.” Perhaps, another reason for a fan to call him a “poser” could be that he started out in the boxing business quite late in his career. Notably, Jake Paul has also dodged the usual route that a boxer takes — having little to no amateur experience, and rather bagging big-money fights using his clout as a YouTuber.

Do you think Jake Paul is ready to make his MMA debut? Let us know in the comment section below.