Jake Paul has been told he can earn a fight against Conor McGregor - if he first takes on one of his teammates.
YouTube star Paul has made no secret of his desire to take on UFC legend McGregor.
He even admitted the lure of a clash with the Irishman drove him to lace up a pair of gloves in the first place.
Paul has amassed a record of 5-0 following wins over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and former UFC stand-outs Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
But he remains desperate to challenge himself against McGregor whose only boxing appearance saw him stopped by ring legend Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Paul said last week that he was willing to travel to Ireland for the fight, explaining: "I want to fight Conor McGregor. I will fight him in a boxing ring in Ireland.
"That's partially how this boxing journey started, I made up my mind that I was going to get a fight McGregor and win it."
In response, McGregor's teammate Cian Cowley said: "Has to try beat one of us first before he gets a shot at the king" alongside a photo of McGregor and his training partners.
Cowley has lost his last four MMA fights, most recently dropping a decision to Ahmed Amir in September 2020.
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McGregor, meanwhile, is expected to return to the cage this summer, a year after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier.
It is unclear who the Dubliner will face after long-time rival Nate Diaz confirmed he plans to retire after a potential clash with Poirier later this year.
Any fight with Paul would have to wait until McGregor had fought out the final two bouts on his UFC contract - unless the promotion was willing to co-promote the boxing clash.
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