UFC star Tony Ferguson, a long-time rival of Conor McGregor, has offered his services as a coach to Jake Paul after the boxer announced his move to MMA this week.
The YouTuber-turned-fighter has defeated three former MMA world champions in his boxing career, and has now decided to take the leap and sign with PFL, arguably the No.2 promotion in the sport. Meanwhile, Ferguson appears to be taking time away from the cage after a difficult few years in which he has suffered five losses, three of which were stoppages.
In the meantime, the fighter has been staying in the gym while also attending Harvard University where he is studying business, likely for a career after fighting. Ferguson is one of many MMA stars who would likely be keen to work with Paul who is 6-0 as a professional boxer and despite never facing a legitimate professional in his own sport has become one of its biggest names.
Ferguson, who is known for his inimitable style on social media, took to Twitter to make himself available as a training partner to Paul, saying: "Let me know when you need a good MMA coach @jakepaul. You can be one of my students." He signed off the tweet with his signature 'champ s*** only' catchphrase and a series of emojis, along with the hashtag "#KeepGrindin’Kid".
Paul announced his move into the cage this week when he confirmed that he will be joining PFL, where he will also take on a backstage role and receive an equity stake in the promotion. His manager Nakisa Bidarian will also be involved, returning to the MMA world after a tenure as the UFC's Chief Financial Officer during which the company was sold for $4billion.
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"I've officially signed as an MMA fighter to the fastest-growing sports league in the world, the PFL," Paul told fans 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."
