Ex-UFC Champion Shares ‘Real Reason’ Jake Paul Hasn’t Challenged Him for a Showdown

Jake Paul has built his boxing career by taking on big-name MMA fighters, often older and past their primes, and turning those matchups into major pay-per-view spectacles. However, there’s one former UFC champion who has never been on Paul’s radar, and he’s pretty sure he knows why. 

In a social media post, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson claimed that Paul has deliberately avoided challenging him for fear of being exposed in the ring.

“The real reason why Jake Paul has never called me out ”

 

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A post shared by Quinton Jackson (@rampagejackson)

Rampage was the light heavyweight champion in the UFC and a lot closer to Paul’s fighting weight as compared to the other MMA fighters he has matched himself up against. Aptly nicknamed ‘Rampage’, Jackson is known for his strength and undying rage and has the technique to go with it.

After Paul’s decision win over Mike Tyson, the former PRIDE and UFC champ had fired back on social media, calling out Paul out for disrespecting MMA legends. 

Jackson has since offered to fight Paul in MMA with no weight class or pay, claiming he’s sick of the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s handpicked opponents and one-sided matchups.

But he is not the only one who wants a piece of the Jake Paul pie. 

Paul rubbing fighters the wrong way in boxing and MMA

Just days after the Tyson bot, the IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois texted Paul offering him a fight. Paul shared the DM on social media to gain some clout. While it was natural to assume that Paul might have been bluffing, Dubois confirmed on the ‘Bricks to Riches’ podcast that the leaked DM was indeed legit.

Daniel Dubois has challenged Jake Paul to fight for his belt pic.twitter.com/hlMYgzYPlf

— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) November 19, 2024

Fresh off a demolition of Anthony Joshua in September, Dubois is currently without an opponent, and while fights with Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker have been floated, the Brit has his sights on the biggest payday in boxing history. 

“If Jake Paul wants it, he can get it!” Dubois declared, even teasing a $40 million payday as his starting price for the fight.

While this would be a terrible mismatch, Paul’s heavyweight ranking after his Tyson bout makes it just plausible enough in today’s boxing landscape.

And with the Paul-Tyson fight generating serious commercial success, Dubois knows the money is there—even if the matchup itself feels more spectacle than sport.