Tommy Fury has been out of the ring for a while now, recovering from a long-time hand injury. He underwent surgery following his controversial decision win in his last fight against KSI in October last year. “My hand is back in use. In the last two weeks, I’ve started using my hand again. That’s feeling good. Hopefully, stay on track and fight in December,” TNT stated on his YouTube channel. However, the December date Fury gave for his return is tentative as “getting fit and getting back in shape” is his first priority.

On his road to being fight-ready, Tyson Fury‘s half-brother caught up with Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall to do some MMA training, the footage of which he shared on his YouTube channel, which was later reposted by MMA page – Happy Punch on X. Amidst, learning about stand-up fighting routines, and grappling techniques from Aspinall, Tommy Fury issued a challenge to Jake Paul. However, this time he wanted to handle business in the Octagon, instead of a boxing ring. Notably, the duo squared off in a boxing match in February last year where Fury narrowly emerged victorious, winning the contest via a split decision.

“Jake Paul is in the PFL isn’t he? Ah, I love that then. I am going to smash his face in when I get good at MMA. Beat him in boxing and the cage. Big useless prick. I reckon a year and a half training and I beat him in a fight,” he boldly proclaimed to his viewers.“He’s got the funds. He’s got the best trainers in the world. He’s got the best sparring in the world. So, he’s doing all right but no match for me. Next time I fight him, I knock him out in MMA,” Fury further stated.

Interestingly, Jake Paul signed a multi-year, multi-fight MMA contract with PFL last year. However, Paul didn’t set a timeframe for his debut. With both Paul and Fury having no prior MMA experience, it could be an interesting matchup if both parties agree to enter into fight negotiations.

Although Jake Paul’s high school wrestling background might give him a slight advantage in MMA, it’s still a long time since Paul had any training in grappling. Overall, it would be an interesting matchup for Jake Paul to kickstart his MMA career. Now, it’s up to the YouTuber-turned-boxer to respond to Tommy’s challenge. However, the former Disney actor is engaged till the end of this year, with a big fight coming up against Mike Tyson, which will be aired on Netflix on November 15.

Meanwhile, fans had a field day in the comment section of the Happy Punch post taunting Tommy Fury for being bold enough to even think of switching to MMA from boxing.

Can boxers thrive in MMA?

One fan commented that the YouTuber-turned-boxer might get the better of Paul in MMA due to his college wrestling background. They commented, “With Jake’s college wrestling he might beat Tommy for once.” The Ohio native once proclaimed to the media in 2021 that he was a Division 1 state wrestler in Ohio. With such a background, an MMA match might not go Tommy Fury’s way.

Another fan echoed a similar sentiment that Tommy Fury would be beaten by Jake Paul in an MMA setting. They remarked, “Tommy would get destroyed by Jake.” Safe to say, Paul would be hungry for revenge after losing the boxing match last year against Tommy Fury.

Meanwhile, one fan thought Fury was looking for another massive paycheck for wanting to fight the social media star. They claimed, “Lmao, bros just looking for a bag at this point.” The social clout that Jake Paul has gathered during his career as a YouTuber has translated well into his professional boxing stint, making him a PPV attraction.

One user thought that boxers switching to MMA was a bad decision. They commented, “Boxers can’t MMA.” Many former UFC veterans like Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva, have entered the boxing ring against Jake Paul and suffered devastating defeats. However, no one from the current crop of elite boxers has dared to enter the octagon.

A fan pointed out what a humiliating experience it would be for Jake Paul if he lost to Tommy Fury twice. They remarked, “Imagine being embarrassed by some average boxer in two different sports.” In his entire combat sports career, Jake Paul’s only loss came against Tommy Fury.

Do you think Tommy Fury should enter the SmartCage and battle it out with Jake Paul in the PFL? Let us know in the comment section below.