Following his highly publicized appearance at UFC 261, YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul spoke to Ariel Helwani from ESPN. ‘The Problem Child’ stirred up the pot in a huge way, as he was one of many stars in attendance. The MMA world responded in a rather hostile manner to Paul’s appearance on the big screen, giving him the attention he was seeking.
Jake Paul is arguably one of the hottest commodities in combat sports today. He’s fresh off a KO win over former MMA star Ben Askren that truly elevated his profile in a massive way. In the eyes of some fans, he gained legitimacy by knocking out Askren and is now a credentialed threat.
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Jake Paul looks on at what’s next?
When talking to Helwani on all things fighting, Paul was asked to name an opponent for his next match-up. Jake Paul had only one name on his mind- Stockton’s own, Nate Diaz. ‘The Problem Child’ previewed a fight against Nate Diaz and elaborated on how an emphatic win would lead to a bout against Conor McGregor.
‘The Problem Child’ said, “I think Nate Diaz. I think people will immediately write me off…but they’re going to tune in and watch. It’s two massive names and it would be a massive pay-per-view. And when they see me obliterate him… they’re not even going to know how to react. They’re going to think that it’s rigged again.
“And at that moment of time, I’ll be undeniable to fight Conor McGregor because I beat the guy that beat you Conor. The Jake Paul vs Conor fight is a massive fight. I’m sort of like, why wait? I’m not trying to be in this sport forever, I’m not trying to have a 100 fights. Why wait? Let’s do the biggest fights right away.”
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Diaz’s hands are full as he already has a massive UFC bout against Leon Edwards at next month’s UFC 262. However, if all things fall into place and with the blessings of the UFC, boxing Jake Paul is a viable option.
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