Before Logan Paul was fighting Floyd Mayweather in front of a stadium in Miami, he was very seriously considering a move into MMA, with British YouTuber Joel 'JMX' Morris touted as his first opponent.
Paul sat down for a meeting with Bellator boss Scott Coker and his team got in touch with JMX about a possible bout in the days after his brother, Jake Paul, made his professional boxing debut in Miami. The pair even met during the DAZN pre-show for Jake's bout with content creator AnEsonGib, but just weeks later, the world was locked down and talks never resumed.
Instead, Paul moved on to face Mayweather in an exhibition bout, while Morris ended up moving behind the scenes with his business, while also undergoing shoulder surgery and appearing on a reality show called Locked In. But with the world back to normal, the fight could be back on the table given that Paul's keenness for an MMA bout hasn't wavered.
"He reached out to my team, there were discussions going on," Morris told Mirror Fighting in an exclusive chat. "And I don't know if it was the pandemic or the fact that he decided he didn't want the smoke, maybe something between those two. Maybe it just didn't make sense for him, but I'm sure there's potential in the future if he wants to take the risk. That's the end of the story, really."
Morris will return to the ring against TikTok star Ginty for his first boxing match in four years on Saturday night in Sheffield, when he competes on Misfits Boxing's sophomore outing. He took to the cage for FAME MMA in 2019, and was flying high in the influencer boxing scene just months before the world was shut down.
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He is still keen to get in the ring, or cage, with the older Paul brother. "100 per cent, MMA, boxing, whatever he wants," Morris explained. "I'm going to get a couple of wins and then I'm coming for that. I think a lot of people know that is a real test for him - he's talking about fighting Dillon Danis!
"Come on, let's be real, that's not like a proper fight. It's not like he'd be fighting an actual fighter or anything, I'm still a YouTuber, so it's not silly but I would f***ing 100 per cent want that fight and I think a lot of people would want to see that. It'd be very, very interesting, pick the sport, pick the martial art, I don't mind, that's on the hit list.
"I'm down to get back in the cage, it's just that at the moment, boxing is what's popping off, that's where the opportunities are, so I'm focusing on boxing. But if someone like Logan Paul doesn't want to box me and he feels more comfortable in a cage, then let's shut the door in there and see what happens, I f***ing loved MMA, it was so much fun - it's just not where the opportunities are right now!"
