Jake Paul has signed a multi-fight deal with MMA promotion PFL which will see him fight in both the boxing ring and the cage this year.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is undefeated in the ring at 6-0 as a professional, recording knockouts over MMA legends Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren as well as beating UFC icon Anderson Silva back in October. He is expected to compete in boxing early this year before making the transition into MMA under the PFL banner.
PFL, which stands for Professional Fighters' League, are making a major push to become the No.2 promotion in their sport and will debut a new 'super-fight' division next year to deviate from the league format. It's there that Paul will compete, with no opponent or fight date set.
The New York Times confirmed that Paul has signed with PFL this morning, noting that both he and his manager Nakisa Bidarian will be receiving equity in the promotion as part of the deal. Bidarian was the UFC's Chief Financial Officer when they were sold to WME-IMG, now known as Endeavor, for $4billion.
Paul will fight multiple times in the PFL as part of his deal, as well as becoming the 'head of fighter advocacy' in the promotion. It remains to be seen what the exact specifications of the role will be, but he is expected to make a big push to promote the MMA company to his tens of millions of fans across social media.
“This is about changing MMA," Paul told the newspaper. "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.”
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The social media star, as well as his brother Logan, has a background in wrestling from his time in high school. The pair competed in the famed wrestling state of Ohio, where Jake was forced to give up when he dropped out of school to pursue a career in entertainment full-time after being cast on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark.
Paul joins a number of big names who will compete in the super-fight division of PFL, including the multiple-weight undisputed boxing champion Claressa Shields. The pair had a public feud that got bitter at times, but appear to have thawed their relationship in recent times and are likely to be brought together to promote PFL's upcoming events.
PFL generally takes place under a league format, where fighters compete in two league bouts, earning points based on their wins and how they achieve them before moving on to playoffs. The winner of a PFL season receives $1million on top of their purses for the three tournament bouts on the way to the final. The UK had their first PFL champion crowned last year in Brendan Loughnane.
