Jake Paul has once again stirred debate after taking aim at MMA fighters, calling out reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett while dismissing their chances in a boxing ring.
Paul, who has built his boxing résumé by facing a mix of MMA names and professional fighters, made it clear he remains confident against crossover opponents.
In his recent interview with Complex News, Paul insisted he has already proven his ability against fighters transitioning from MMA. reflecting his past fights.
“I’ve proven it time and time again with the best strikers from MMA. I beat them pretty easily at an earlier point in my career,” Paul said.
He dismissed the idea that current MMA stars could trouble him in a boxing match.
“They say they can beat me in boxing. This is like a joke to me.”
Paul claims Pimblett turned down offer and targets Topuria
Paul revealed he even attempted to set up a fight with Pimblett, going as far as offering financial incentives.
“I tried to send a jet to Paddy Pimblett. I was going to give him a million dollars, and then it’s just radio silence,” he said.
Paul shared that Topuria was on a live stream with Adin Ross, and they agreed to spare, but it never came to fruition.
“When they’re on the live stream, say, ‘I’ll do it right now.’ And then when it goes to happen, it just doesn’t come to fruition.”
‘The Problem Child’acknowledged the stylistic contrast between boxing and MMA. And empahised that if he fights ‘El Matador’ in MMA, he would probably lose.
“If we did MMA, yeah, he would probably win. But let’s find out the truth,” Paul said.
However, he pointed to physical differences as a key factor against reigning UFC lightweight champion.
“He’s like 5’5… if we were the same weight and same height, it would probably be closer. I would still beat him.”
Paul doubled down on his confidence, even suggesting the matchup would be one-sided under boxing rules.
“It would be like playing with a little toy… I’m not even kidding.”
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has built his professional boxing career fighting UFC fighters.
To validate his points, he has victories unanimous decision over former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Who’s striking was considered elite during his time in the UFC. However, many argued that Silva had passed his prime, and things would have been different when he was the active UFC champion.
Paul has victories over Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Nate Diaz, and, most recently, UFC fighter Michael Perry, whom he secured a win over in 2024 at Amalia Arena, Tampa. He secured a knockout victory in the sixth round.
That being said, Topuria arguably has the best boxing in UFC history. He is knocking the lights out of his opponent. He is in his prime, and many UFC fighters believe that he would do great in the boxing ring.
Things between the two got heated when Paul challenged Topuria while he was live-streaming with Ross, and they agreed to spar. It will be interesting to see if this ever comes to fruition.
