Jake Paul is heading towards an elite group of fighters including Conor McGregor, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, according to UFC legend Chael Sonnen.
The former light-heavyweight and middleweight world title challenger believes Paul has put himself in the discussion of fighters who can take on anyone and still draw interest from fans. And with that, he would join other combat sport legends, most of whom needed a career full of world title glories to reach the point at which the YouTuber is within just six professional fights.
Paul recently announced he will be making his MMA debut under the PFL banner, drawing massive attention worldwide despite not revealing an opponent or fight date. And Sonnen reckons that the excitement around his first fight in the 'smart cage' is an indication of his star-power in the sport.
"Jake Paul's debut in the PFL, meaning his debut in MMA, does it matter who his opponent is?" Sonnen queried in a new YouTube video. "It's a really interesting question. For a guy to be powerful enough, for a guy to be interesting in an attraction enough that his opponent does not matter? It's so incredibly rare.
"They say over the history of combat sports, it's only happened twice, Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson. Now that list would need [to be] amended. You would need to put Floyd Mayweather on that list and you would need to put Conor McGregor on that list, but that's rare. Those guys aren't even fighting anymore and that's still the list.
"Brock Lesnar was a big deal, Ronda Rousey could do her share of interest. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] was really never in that spot so we don't know. I think he retired the night that he possibly would have graduated to that, I'm just trying to show you how rare it is. Whether we deduce that Jake's in it or not, the mere fact that we're having to argue and talk it out. That right there proves a point."
Do you agree with Chael Sonnen's assessment of Jake Paul's star-power? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Paul's announcement that he will join PFL was huge news in the MMA and boxing worlds, and he has confirmed that he will also be taking on a role behind the scenes with the promotion. Both he and his manager Nakisa Bidarian are receiving equity in PFL as part of the deal, with the former UFC Chief Financial Officer returning to MMA officially in his new position.
"I've officially signed as an MMA fighter to the fastest-growing sports league in the world, the PFL," Paul said in a YouTube video. "Not only am I'm an MMA fighter but I'm also a co-founder of the new PFL pay-per-view super-fight division. I will be the head of fighter advocacy and I'm going to use my platform to market PFL fighters and introduce them to my fans worldwide.
"I personally will be deeply involved in making sure the PFL is the best place in the world for fighters, with the launch of this new division our fighters will be receiving 50 per cent of the revenue. A partnership that allows fighters to be individual and for them to monetise their own sponsorship deals which as we know, isn't allowed in the UFC."
