PFL CEO Pete Murray expects Jake Paul to finally step into the cage in 2025.
YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Paul (9-1) takes on Mike Tyson (50-6) in a professionally sanctioned bout July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The event will stream live on Netflix.
“The Problem Child” said he plans on making his MMA debut after boxing Tyson, and offered former UFC stars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz $10 million dollars to fight him in the PFL cage. Murray sees plenty of big options for Paul’s first MMA fight.
“That’s more of a 2025 scenario,” Murray told MMA Junkie of Paul’s MMA debut. “We’re looking forward to dialing that in with Jake and his partner Nakisa (Bidarian). In this scenario, once again, no shortage of major, major MMA top fighters that want to step into the cage with Jake – including Nate. That would be an exciting fight. There are others that are lining up – Masvidal, and there’s more.
“We have options. Jake has options. We’re excited about it, but he’s continuing to focus on boxing right now. He’s got a big event coming up on Netflix against ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the boxing ring, so that’ll be captivating. Following that, we’ll see what’s next for Jake. But 2025 is definitely where he and his team are setting their sights (for MMA).”
Paul has found success against top MMA talent in the boxing ring. He knocked down Diaz en route to a unanimous decision win in their 10-round, 185-pound boxing match last August. He also holds wins over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley twice, and Anderson Silva.
“Jake is committed to fighting major talent in MMA,” Murray said. “We already talked about a couple other names under consideration. It’ll be a big name, and it’ll be the biggest MMA debut ever in the sport.”
