Jake Paul is set to make his MMA debut as early as this year under the PFL banner after suffering his first boxing loss.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer was undefeated as a professional until February when he dropped a split decision to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia. And he has been working on his jiu-jitsu and kicking for a potential MMA bout after signing with the sport's No.2 promotion earlier this year and taking equity in the company.
Paul has a background in wrestling that pre-dates his career as a YouTube star as well as his boxing. In the ring, he has defeated former MMA world champions such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, and he's dropped every opponent that he has faced including Fury.
And PFL Vice-President of Communications Loren Mack has told MMA Mania that his debut is imminent, saying: “ Jake Paul is absolutely going to fight in 2023. I mean, that’s, that’s been the plan all along. I know, he’s in the gym, and he’s training, taking it very seriously. So expect to see him in the PFL cage in 2023, and it’s going to be MMA.
"He’s very serious about MMA, and he’s an incredible athlete. I think he’s gonna really develop into a superstar in the sport. We’re keeping our eyes open for sure, nothing concrete as of yet, but we’re definitely on the look and had a few initial discussions. If you know Jake, he will want a big name for his debut. He puts his money where his mouth is.”
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Paul previously announced his signing in a massive video presentation, as well as confirming that he and business partner Nakisa Bidarian will be involved behind the scenes with the company. The social media star will head up the promotion's 'super fight' division, which is a new pay-per-view model that also features women's boxing champion Claressa Shields.
“This is about changing MMA," Paul told the New York Times. "Disrupting, innovating, and creating the next big league. The biggest thing for me would be getting the kicks down. But I’m going to start now, moving forward with some extra time I have within this camp. I’m going to put in some extra time, rolling around doing some jiu-jitsu and learning some kicks.”
A fight in the cage could cost Paul a massive pay-per-view opportunity in boxing, however, against his long-time YouTube rival KSI. The Brit has opened talks with Tommy Fury for a prospective super-fight, but has admitted that the purpose of his boxing journey is to get a fight with the younger Paul brother after already beating the elder sibling Logan in 2019.
