Jake Paul likely never fighting in MMA, says promotion that signed him: 'I think he's pretty set on boxing'



An executive from the Professional Fighters League said it is unlikely that boxing star Jake Paul will cross over into mixed martial arts.

Dan Hardy, PFL's director of fighter operations for Europe, directly contradicted the promotion's founder Donn Davis when he said he did not think Paul would make the jump to MMA.

In January, Davis said Paul's MMA career has been delayed "because he's killing it in boxing."

"So will MMA happen with the PFL? Yes, it will. Has it been delayed? Yes, it has. My guess is the fall of this year, but I don't think it's going to be before that," Davis added, per BJPenn.com.

Hardy, a former UFC fighter who joined the promotion at the executive level in 2023, spoke to outlet MMA Fighting and was asked if Paul's MMA debut had been put off so long that it seemed it was no longer going to happen.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'm not seeing him make any moves in that direction, certainly from my perspective," Hardy replied. "I mean, he just called out Anthony Joshua the other day did he not? He's certainly making things interesting for the combat sports world and he's definitely a disrupter. That’s the main purpose that he's serving right now, and he’s a benefit to the PFL in that regard as well."

Joshua is a highly respected English boxer with a 28-4 record. The 35-year-old last fought, and lost by knockout, in September 2024 to Daniel Dubois.

'Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so.'

Hardy then dropped a bomb that likely will not please his company's ownership.

"Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so," Hardy stated. "I think he's pretty set on boxing right now. I don't know, I don't know, it’s a lot of work for him to cross over into MMA. He's not going to fight anybody that you've ever heard of before, you know, it’s going to have to be a decent name or people won't watch it. Old guys in MMA could still handle business, I think, with Jake Paul."

Paul claimed last October that he would be entering the MMA arena following his fight with Mike Tyson.

Earlier in the summer, Paul expressed that he did not want an easy opponent for his first time in the cage and said he could likely "beat Nate Diaz."

Paul went on, "It would be tough, of course. It's a 50/50 fight, but I don't want to go into something where I'm going to be outclassed like fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in my first fight."

Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and retired undefeated at 29-0.

Diaz, 39, recently signaled he wanted to return to the UFC having last fought in 2022 when he beat UFC legend Tony Ferguson.

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'I kind of blanked out': Mike Tyson says he barely remembers fight with Jake Paul, assures fans it was 'real'



Mike Tyson said he "blanked out" during his fight with Jake Paul and only remembers a couple of key moments of the event.

Tyson lost a decision to the younger Paul live on Netflix in November and, despite technical difficulties, drew in over 100 million viewers across the globe.

After the fact, rumors swirled about the legitimacy of the fight and if Tyson was contractually obliged to not throw certain punches that may have knocked Paul out.

During an appearance on Fox Sports Radio show "Covino & Rich with Steve Covino and Rich Davis," Tyson was asked if he "held back" on certain punches.

“I don’t remember the fight that much, I kind of blanked out a little," Tyson responded.

Explaining that he hadn't yet watched the fight, Tyson added, "I don't know what happened, you'd have to show me."

The 58-year-old revealed what he did remember, however.

"I remember coming back from the first round, and the next thing I remember is Jake is doing some kind of ... I don't know what he was doing."

Tyson was referring to Paul bowing to him out of respect at the end of fight.

Tyson then laughed, saying he thought Paul was going to punch him at that moment so he put his guard up.

"That's the last thing I remember."

'That money isn't going to change my lifestyle.'

The legendary fighter opened up to the radio hosts and told them he has been "depressed a little bit" since the fanfare of the fight has ended but assured audiences "it was a real fight."

"My body was really sore. My chest and my stomach was really sore," he added.

Tyson then explained that money couldn't have been a motivating factor to fix the fight in any way, either.

"That money isn't going to change my lifestyle," he remarked, showcasing his pristine home behind him.

  Jake Paul, Mike Tyson embrace at The Pavilion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 15, 2024.Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

The interview also contained several hilarious exchanges, including Tyson reacting to the viral moment of his bare backside being shown on TV after a pre-fight interview.

"It's a new time and era," he said about the popularity of the clip. "I've been that way my whole career, my butt's been showing."

Later, the viral clip came up again when Tyson was asked what he has been most surprised about in terms of popular parts of his legacy. For example, his appearances in video games, movie cameos, etc.

"Well, I think it's going to be the ass now," he replied, sending the hosts into a laughing fit.

Another laugh-out-loud moment happened when the hosts asked the former heavyweight champion why he made his entrance to the ring alone on Netflix.

"Somebody just said 'Mike it's time to come out,' and I just came out," he laughed.

When asked if he would have changed anything about the fight, Tyson reiterated that he "wouldn't have realized any of it" even if something was different.

"If it was three-minute rounds, I didn't realize it," he said.

Tyson has since been offered $700 million for a rematch by a Saudi government representative but only if he knocks out Jake Paul in the first three minutes.

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Mike Tyson reportedly offered $700 million for Jake Paul rematch — with one huge catch



After Mike Tyson lost to Jake Paul by a decision in November, a government executive from Saudi Arabia reportedly offered Tyson $700 million to take have a rematch.

As reported by several outlets including MMA Weekly, Saudi Arabian adviser and minister Turki Alalshikh offered Tyson the money if he is willing to participate in a "real" fight with Paul.

Alalshikh is the current chairman of the board of directors of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia and is widely considered to have transformed the boxing landscape, typically with large injections of cash.

'Jake Paul is a joke.'

The $700 million offer was seemingly first reported by an Instagram page called FTTV, which cited Alalshikh as saying "Jake Paul is a joke."

Alalshikh then offered the caveat that Tyson would have to knock Paul out within the first three minutes of the fight to earn the money.

"I am giving Mike Tyson $700 million if he agrees to fight Jake Paul, this time in a real fight, and wins by KO in a maximum of three minutes," Alalshikh reportedly said.

It's difficult to know whether the offer is real, given that Alalshikh hasn't made any other public comments about Tyson since he was promoting the fight online in November.

The Saudi wasn't the only person seemingly unhappy with the outcome of the Netflix bout, with many notable celebrities saying they felt duped by the result.

NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin — who sat in the second row at the event — called the event a "lie" and even theorized that there were contract stipulations preventing Tyson from throwing his preferred punches.

"That fight was a lie," Irvin claimed. "Everybody's lying. ... They had no intentions to really strap it on. If you look through that, I didn't see one patented uppercut by Mike Tyson. What did Mike Tyson win on? Uppercut."

"He couldn't body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract?" Irvin said.

At the same time, the enormous offer to Tyson showcases exactly what UFC President Dana White said is wrong with the current state of boxing.

Despite Alalshikh's previous claim that he was going to "fix" a broken sport, White said in October that the current boxing model "doesn't f***ing work. ... It takes a f***ing Saudi trillionaire to make boxing work."

White's words were in response to claims that he doesn't pay fighters enough and that there is more money for athletes, particularly UFC fighters, when they transition to boxing.

"Even Saudi trillionaires get tired of f***ing bulls***. It's all a myth," White said about the pay scales.

"All the people that are trying the boxing thing, they all end up losing s***loads of money."

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'That fight was a lie': NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin says Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight was fixed



NFL Hall of Fame member Michael Irvin called the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match a "lie" that had no intentions of being a real fight.

The former Dallas Cowboy sat in the second row of the Netflix-promoted event and said that in his opinion, Tyson was holding back and didn't deliver his signature uppercuts on purpose.

"That fight was a lie," Irvin claimed. "Everybody's lying. ... They had no intentions to really strap it on. If you look through that, I didn't see one patented uppercut by Mike Tyson. What did Mike Tyson win on? Uppercut."

Irvin told the hosts of the "It Is What It Is" podcast that he had heard that Tyson agreed to a contract stipulating he couldn't hit Paul in the body and then follow it with an uppercut.

"Then I heard some people talking about they couldn't put that in the contract. He couldn't body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract?" Irvin said.

The confusing points perplexed host Mason Betha, also known as the rapper Mase, who often smiled or simply said, "Hmm ...," throughout Irvin's theory.

"Mike, how do you know that wasn't in the contract?" Betha said, bursting into laughter.

"No, it was in the contract!" Irvin replied.

"Who's your resource?" Betha continued, "Cite your source," he laughed.

"You got all these people out here, and [Tyson] couldn't body him and do that patented uppercut. Mike Tyson is not Mike Tyson anyway, and now you're taking away Mike Tyson's best gift, which is that uppercut. Man, that's a big lie to me."

'If they take that away, you ain't that dude anymore.'

Irvin then compared taking away Tyson's uppercut to his football days, saying that if he was forced to play a game without running a slant or deep out route, he wouldn't be able to play at his best.

"If they take that away, you ain't that dude anymore, and they took that away," Irvin added.

Co-host Cam'ron Giles, who simply goes by Cam'ron, said his interpretation of the fight was that Tyson was getting beaten so badly he didn't want to watch it anymore.

"I walked out around round four," Cam'ron said, saying he was trying to avoid seeing Tyson get knocked out. "I just went to my car and smoked."

  Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024

Irvin, however, had another theory up his sleeve.

"Somebody asked Mike why he kept biting his glove," the former wide receiver began. "I think he was trying not to kill the dude. That's what crazy people do," Irvin claimed.

"It's a tick ... he never threw the uppercut."

Irvin has seemingly already been disproven on this topic, though. Not only did Netflix announcer Mauro Ranallo cite during the broadcast that Tyson has a history of biting his glove, Tyson also claimed after the fight that he has a "biting fixation."

The latter is a hilarious reference to when he bit boxer Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997.

At the same time, there exists video evidence of Tyson doing the same glove bite as far back as at least 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. However, one could allege the same claim as Irvin about that fight, since that fight was an exhibition, as well.

"I'm happy he got every dime, or whatever it is. I want him to get his money. I just wanted him to free the beast," Irvin concluded.

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Jake Paul jumps into NIL deals with gymnast Livvy Dunne for partnership in new Walmart brand



Boxer and influencer Jake Paul has recruited multiple star athletes as partners in his new men's care brand.

Recently, Paul signed LSU gymnastics star Livvy Dunne to a name, image, and likeness deal for his health product brand called W.

Dunne is a social media juggernaut in her own right, with over 13 million followers across platforms. She announced the new partnership on her Instagram page, which represents about 40% of her audience.

The NIL deal, first reported by On3, represents the strong crossover value that college athletes offer brands in different markets, along with international reach online.

Dunne is reportedly the third influencer brought on as a co-owner of the Walmart-exclusive brand, along with recent UFC champion Sean O'Malley and rapper Rubi Rose. All of these influencers have a strong following among young men, whom Paul is targeting with his new brand by strictly selling products for less than $10.

Paul launched W in June and reportedly brought Dunne on after meeting her at a party.

"We immediately hit it off," Dunne told WWD. "Seeing how passionate he was in person really made me want to work with him. I know he grew up as an influencer and has always been in the spotlight, but he's truly proven himself in other areas and shown that you can be successful beyond just being an influencer."

Dunne added that she has garnered success by discovering her core values and aligning her brand deals and business opportunities with those ideals.

"I feel like there are so many things on people's feeds that are not authentic. It's very easy to detect," she continued. "It's a feeling you get when you talk to a brand and can tell your core values align. And that's something I felt with W."

'I think that's important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college.'

The gymnast and NCAA champion has been trying to make honesty a big part of her brand, often providing remarks that are seldom heard in the sports world.

In September, she explained the importance for female college athletes to make money off their image while in college, due to lack of popularity of professional women's sports leagues.

"It's very important to capitalize on your NIL while you're in college if you're a female, because there's not a lot of professional leagues after college for most women's sports," Dunne confessed.

"I think that's important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college."

Dunne carries with her a $4 million NIL valuation, which ranks her No. 2 in the country among college athletes.

At the same time, Paul made an estimated $40 million from his recent boxing match against Mike Tyson.

The 27-year-old said he wanted to create a health brand free from artificial dyes, hormone disruptors, and sulfates and sought to bring a product to market that he said would help young men who are deficient in vitamin D and magnesium.

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Tyson Vs. Paul Is The Post-Election, Feel-Good Slugfest America Needs

Friday's Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight offers Americans a short break from the insanity of U.S. politics.

'I'm gonna die, and it's gonna be over': Mike Tyson gives child reporter dark answer about having an 'ego'



Mike Tyson gave an honest and shocking answer to a child reporter who asked him what he thinks his lasting legacy will be in his sport.

Ahead of a press conference for his Friday night fight on Netflix against boxer Jake Paul, Tyson was interviewed by child star Jazlyn Guerra who hosts "Jazzy's World."

While Guerra asked Tyson about his love for pigeons and what makes him happy, it was a question about his legacy that brought out a deep philosophical answer from the former heavyweight champion.

"You are setting a monumental opportunity for kids my age to see the legend Mike Tyson in the ring for the first time," Guerra began.

"After such a successful career, what type of legacy would you like to leave behind when it's all said and done?" she asked.

The young reporter may not have been ready for what Tyson was about to unleash.

"I don't believe in the word legacy, I just think that's another word for 'ego.' Legacy doesn't mean nothing, that's just some word everybody grabbed onto," Tyson explained.

The 58-year-old then added that he doesn't care about his legacy because he is going to die:

"It means absolutely nothing to me, I'm just passing through. I'm gonna die, and it's going to be over. Who cares about a legacy after that?" he asked rhetorically.

  14-year-old reporter Jazlyn Guerra hosts 'Jazzy's World,' a YouTube channel with more than 700,000 subscribers.Photo by Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Tyson continued, "What a big ego ... so I'm [going to] die, I want people to think that I'm this, I'm great? No. We're nothing, we're dead, we're dust. We're absolutely nothing, our legacy is nothing."

The 14-year-old, perhaps not expecting a lesson on the fragility of life, simply replied, "Well, thank you so much for sharing that."

"That is something I have not heard before," she noted.

The boxer wasn't done with his teachings on the ego, however, and his further remarks certainly helped a clip from the interview go viral.

"Can you really imagine somebody saying, 'I want my legacy to be this way'? You're dead! Why do you want somebody ... you think somebody really wants to think about you? I want people to think about me when I'm gone? Who the f*** cares about me when I'm gone?" Tyson prophesied.

The New York native did concede, however, that maybe his kids or grandchildren would care about him when he's deceased.

  Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off before their November 15 fight on Netflix.Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024

The young reporter handled Tyson's blunt responses in stride and spoke to the boxer about suffering through adversity in rough areas of New York.

"Adversity is beautiful, I'm so happy I endured it," Tyson told the teen. "Adversity makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker. Without adversity, we're nobody. You have to be tested in life."

As for his November 15 opponent, Tyson said it remains to be seen how seriously he takes the sport.

"I don't think much of him, I think he's very funny," Tyson added.

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'This is not gonna come true, young man': Mike Tyson eerily tells Jake Paul he will crush his dreams



Mike Tyson was confidently quiet during a strange sit down interview with upcoming opponent Jake Paul, telling the 27-year-old that he is going to crush his dreams of a having the biggest night of his life.

Both opponents took an unorthodox position of sitting on backwards chairs as they fielded questions in a face-to-face interview just days ahead of their November 15 showdown on Netflix.

Tyson, appearing the most calm and confident he has been ahead of the fight, made several frighteningly calm statements reminiscent of his championship days.

When Paul was asked what it would do for his career and legacy to knock out Tyson, the former YouTuber replied, "Obviously, it would be the biggest moment in all of boxing history on Friday night when I put this man to sleep."

With a creepy smile, Tyson turned to the host, "He dreams a lot."

"This is not going to come true, young man," Tyson added.

Paul explained that he is "indeed" scared that Tyson could knock him out and has felt the fear while watching videos of Tyson train.

"My mom is messaging ... she can't even watch Tyson punch. She won't watch it 'cause it scares her," Paul said.

Inversely, Tyson was asked what it would say about him if he loses to the less-experienced fighter.

"Well, I'm not going to lose. I can't even fathom losing. I can't imagine it. He's not going to win," the 58-year-old resonded. "I think he thinks this is going to be an easy night, this is not going to be an easy night."

'I'll feed him to my falcon.'

The strange interview continued, and after Paul told a producer to "shut the f*** up," he presented an obscure gift to Tyson.

"This is a pigeon from Southeast Asia, very expensive, but I wanted you to have this," Paul said as he put the caged bird between them.

"Thank you, Jake," Tyson replied before analyzing the pigeon.

Tyson, who is known to care for coops of pigeons, then referred to the bird as a "low-budget pedigree" before adding that it was obvious that "no one loved him."

"I'll feed him to my falcon," Tyson decided.

"We paid thousands of dollars for that," Paul reiterated.

When the interview ended, Tyson admitted there was no way he could take the pigeon with him and that he would never actually feed the bird to his falcon.

Tyson's training has become increasingly impressive as cameras have followed him leading up to the fight. In one video that went viral online, the fighter seemingly knocked out a sparring partner, sending him falling through the ropes.

Tyson has recently stated that he takes a lot of hallucinogens and even admitted he may be high on mushrooms during the fight.

"If I'm not on mushrooms maybe I'll be on ... residue of mushrooms. I won't be on mushrooms but on the residue of mushrooms!"

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Jake Paul Reveals Why He’s Supporting Trump
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Jake Paul Reveals Why He’s Supporting Trump

'Do the right thing and vote for Donald Trump'

Jake Paul confirmed to be entering MMA following Mike Tyson boxing match: 'It's just about finding the name'



YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul will compete in mixed martial arts following his super fight against boxing legend Mike Tyson.

Paul and Tyson are set to box in November at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Netflix.

Likely in 2025, Paul will get into a cage for the Professional Fighters League in his first pro MMA fight.

PFL CEO Peter Murray insists that Paul is ready to make the jump and will take on a legitimate opponent:

"We have a partnership with Jake and we're looking forward to supporting him in MMA. We're going to stage that mega event next year and more to come on that too, that will happen. There's a number of opponents who continue to line up."

"Conceptually this event continues to getting bigger and bigger. Jake has committed to take on a for real, legitimate fighter. So it'll be a spectacle," Murray said, per Bloody Elbow.

A weight class and opponent are still yet to be determined, however when Paul signed with PFL in January 2023, it was reported that he would fight in a newly-created Super Fight division.

"This is about changing MMA, disrupting, innovating, and creating the next big league," Paul said, according to MMA Junkie. "I've already disrupted boxing, and now it's time to disrupt MMA."

'It would be very, very serious. I would probably start working with either Sean O’Malley's team.'

During a press scrum in August, Paul told the media that while he doesn't want an easy fight, he is still managing his expectations.

"It has to be a fight where it's, like, this is my first MMA fight. So I think I can beat Nate Diaz in my first MMA fight, it would be tough of course. It's a 50/50 fight but I don't want to go into something where I'm going to be outclassed like fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in my first fight."

Nurmagomedov is widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, having retired undefeated at 29-0.

Diaz, on the other hand, is more than 10 years older than Paul but still active in MMA with a record of 23-13. Diaz last fought in 2022 when he beat UFC legend Tony Ferguson.

Paul defeated Diaz in boxing in early August in what was a clear defeat but not a dominating performance. Both fighters immediately discussed the possibility of an MMA match following the fight.

"It’s just about finding the name," Paul told media. With the money available, Paul said his team is "ready to make offers" but his opponent needs to have shown that they can draw sales.

As for his MMA training, Paul said, "It would be very, very serious. I would probably start working with either Sean O’Malley's team or maybe Javier Mendez over in California. I would take it very, very seriously, I wouldn't want to lose and I take everything I do seriously, so I would definitely go hard as f***."

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