Jake Paul Rejects Daniel Cormier’s Offer- ‘I Never Said I Would Beat Daniel Cormier in an MMA Fight’

Jake Paul sat down with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani and talked about all things boxing and MMA following UFC 261. Chiefly, Paul was at the event and garnered a lot of attention from MMA fans who reacted every time he appeared on the screen. 15,000 roaring fans in the VyStar Veterans Memorial arena were chanting ‘F**k Jake Paul’ as fights played out.

What’s more, the aforementioned instance wasn’t the only time Jake Paul got some massive exposure at UFC 261. Former UFC two-division champion turned commentator, Daniel Cormier openly confronted the YouTuber, and the two were engaged in a verbal spat. Following the run-in, Cormier challenged the 3-0 boxer to an MMA fight, and Paul spoke to Helwani about the offer.

Also Read: Former UFC Fighter Rachael Ostovich Joins Bare Knuckle FC

Jake Paul: Will he take on future UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier?

‘The Problem Child’ explained to ESPN that he wasn’t willing to take on Cormier in an MMA fight. He explained that given Cormier’s credentialed striking throughout his MMA career, he certainly is capable of lacing up the gloves. Furthermore, he acknowledged that having never trained in MMA meant he was at a disadvantage and would rather box Cormier.

Paul said, “Of course, he’s [Cormier] going to challenge me to an MMA fight. But I find it funny, he’s challenging me to something I’ve never trained in and he’s trained boxing and striking and stand-up and has been in there with Stipe, Jon Jones. I mean, he lost those fights, but he’s been in there with the best of the best striking.”

“Why not box? Oh, you want to go against me in something I’ve never trained in before. That’s like me finding someone off the streets, literally who has never boxed a day in their lives and being like, come in here, I’m going to challenge him.”

‘DC’ vs ‘The Problem Child’ -A massive crossover event in the making

Jake Paul doubled down on his desire to scrap ‘DC’ under the bright lights of a boxing ring. It appears Paul is rigid in his stance to only box Daniel Cormier and it will be up to ‘DC’ to respond.

“I’m a boxer. I never said I would beat Daniel Cormier in an MMA fight. If he comes and boxes me, I will beat him and maybe a part of him knows that. Why would he not accept that offer? If we fought, that would be the most amount of money that he will ever make in any of his fights by far.”

Looking at where both men are in their careers at the moment, it seems highly unlikely a competition of any kind will come together. However, stranger things have happened in combat sports. One thing is for sure, Cormier vs Paul would be one of the biggest crossover combat sports events of all time.