“I already disrupted boxing; now it is time to disrupt MMA,” Jake Paul said in a shocking announcement on Friday (AEDT).
Paul, the “Problem Child” former YouTube influencer-turned-boxer, signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, in which he will make his MMA debut in 2023.
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The fights will take place in PFL’s all-new Super Fight division, exclusively on PPV.
There was no opponent named for his MMA debut in the announcement.
However, Paul did mention that he offered a two-fight contract with former UFC star Nate Diaz.
“I’m so dedicated to this that I offered Nate Diaz a two-fight deal,” Paul said.
“First, we box. Then six months later, we fight MMA in the SmartCage.”
It is unlikely that the boxing fight would be on PFL, as Paul already has a massive deal with Showtime Boxing.
However, even a one-off MMA fight with Nate Diaz would likely draw millions of buys for PFL from fight fans.
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PFL MMA has weekly fights on ESPN and ESPN+ throughout the year.
Those fights will begin sometime after their new Challenger Series ends in March, although no schedule has been formally announced.
On that timeline, Paul’s first MMA fight with PFL will likely happen sometime around Q2 2023 at the earliest.
In October, Paul said in an interview that he intended to train with Javier Mendez, the legendary coach for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
It is currently unclear whether it will come to fruition or not.
In addition to making his MMA debut, he will apparently take an executive-level role with the company under the title “Head of Fighter Advocacy.”
According to Paul, this role will be all about spreading the wealth in MMA and helping them build their own personal brands.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
