“He Was Like a F**King Big Dude”: UFC Legend Reveals How Jake Paul Made Boxing “Stronger” Ahead of Mike Tyson Fight

People have mixed opinions about Jake Paul and the things he has done for the sport of boxing! However, the former two time UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic isn’t one of them, who has a clear idea about Paul’s contributions. ‘The Problem Child’ is about to enter the ring against legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson on July 20 and people can’t seem to stop talking about it. 

What was initially supposed to be an exhibition, got turned into a professional bout sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation just last week. However, many in the community remain skeptical of the former Disney star’s skills. So, when ‘The Silencer’ Miocic was asked about his fellow Cleveland born pugilist in the Jaxxon Podcast yesterday, he only had great things to say!

Stipe Miocic envies Jake Paul for this reason

As the buzz around the heated Paul-Tyson fight filled the air, Bear Degidio questioned Miocic about his relationship with Jake Paul. In response, the former champion said, “I met him like… He was like a f**king [big] dude, like he’s a great dude, he is smart, like he is very business savvy. He knows what people don’t like and when he draws it, which you know…”

However, it wasn’t just Paul’s business accomplishments that managed to impress Miocic as he said, “But also I watched him train and he trains hard and he listens and he looks good, he hits hard like I envy him [because] I watch what he does and how he doesn’t and he’s a f**king busy man.” Even so, ‘The Silencer’ had more praise in store for the YouTube boxing sensation! 

“[I envy him because of] what he does behind the scenes, like he does… helps open up that boxing camp in Puerto Rico for those kids… I think he made the sport stronger,” said Miocic. It’s worth mentioning that ahead of his fight against Ryan Bourland, Jake Paul promised to donate his entire fight purse to renovate boxing gyms in Puerto Rico for underprivileged children. Something he delivered right after the fight! 

In the meantime, Miocic’s UFC colleague has also praised Jake Paul, comparing Paul’s resume to initial bouts of headlining boxers today!

UFC Featherweight compares Paul to Devin Haney

Devin Haney is coming off his embarrassing loss to Ryan Garcia last month, and in the meantime, a clip of his debut fight against Gonzalo Lopez started circulating on X. An user named @MMABoxFanatic shared the clip titled “Devin Haney fought a 5 foot Mexican Truck driver inside a bar for his pro debut.”

It quickly caught UFC featherweight Sodiq Yusuff’s attention, who retweeted the clip, stating, “This is what I was trying to tell y’all when everyone was s**tting on Jake Paul. His resume, compared to most boxers with the amount of fights he had, is actually a lot more competitive.” While most boxers debut with non-experienced opponents, Paul has fought seasoned boxers, albeit mostly on their way out of the sport. 

‘The Problem Child’ might not have won over the hearts of boxing traditionalists, but folks at UFC seem happy with what Jake Paul has managed to do over the years. However, does that justify fighting someone who is 31 years older than him? What’s your take on this? How do you see this match playing out?