Jake Paul signed with the PFL over two years ago, with plans to become an MMA fighter. However, it seems increasingly unlikely he will actually compete in MMA.
While Paul has mentioned MMA, the 28-year-old is now heavily invested in his boxing career. His recent boxing match against Mike Tyson was a major event. He has also been calling out boxers like Anthony Joshua and Tommy Fury, but talk of him entering MMA has decreased significantly.
Dan Hardy, a PFL analyst, once thought a fight between Paul and Nate Diaz would be a good introduction for Paul to MMA. Now, Hardy is doubtful that Paul, known as “The Problem Child” or “El Gallo,” will ever switch to MMA.
“Will we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so,” Hardy told MMA Fighting. “I think he’s really focused on boxing.”
Hardy explained that transitioning to MMA would be a lot of work for Paul. Any MMA opponent for Paul would need to be well-known to attract viewers. Hardy believes even older MMA fighters could still pose a challenge for Jake Paul.
Early in his boxing career, Paul gained attention by defeating MMA fighters who crossed over to boxing, such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry.
To compete in MMA, Paul would likely need to pause his boxing career for several months to train in the necessary MMA skills for a promotion like the PFL.
Furthermore, Paul was close to securing a boxing match with Canelo Alvarez, but the deal fell apart when Alvarez signed with Saudi Arabia. This indicates Paul`s current priorities are in the boxing world.
Essentially, Paul appears to have put MMA on hold to concentrate on his boxing career.
“I’m not seeing him making any moves towards MMA,” Hardy said. “He called out Anthony Joshua, didn`t he? He’s definitely making things interesting in combat sports.”
Hardy concluded that Paul is a “disruptor” in combat sports and brings value to the PFL in that role.
