Jake Paul started off his career on YouTube where he amassed a huge following. However, Paul did not want to limit himself to just making videos. Therefore, the 26-year-old dipped his toes into everything from acting, singing, boxing and everything in between. However, for the younger Paul brother, it was the sport of boxing that he really took a liking towards. What started out as something he would do on the side has now become Paul’s main identity.
Earlier this year, the younger Paul brother signed with the PFL and promised to fight in MMA as soon as possible. While his next fight is not in MMA, it is safe to say that in 2024 we will most likely see Jake Paul inside the octagon. However, getting fans to follow him in MMA will be a tough ask. In his recent YouTube video, UFC veteran turned pundit Chael Sonnen explained why that is the case. He said,
“There has only been two fighters ever Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson who could draw on their own. I admit that list needs to be amended. We would need to add Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Ever that could compete and fight and draw on their own. We thought Tyson Fury might be one of those guys, we found out two weeks ago that it is a very rare list and Tyson is not on it.”
Sonnen used big names like Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson to explain his point. The legend considered McGregor to be in the same league the boxing legends due to his drawing power.
With that said will Jake Paul be able to sell PPV’s after a crossover to MMA like McGregor did?
Can Jake Paul follow the likes of Conor McGregor?
Conor McGregor is probably the only active UFC fighter who was allowed to have a boxing match while under contract with the UFC. ‘The Notorious’ took on Floyd Mayweather in what went on to be the second most sold PPV of all time. The aura and fan fare around McGregor was such that he had no problem bringing fans over from MMA to boxing.
View this post on Instagram
However, it can be argued that Jake Paul is nowhere close to the level of Conor McGregor at the peak of his fame. Paul wrestled as a child and therefore won’t be completely new to MMA. Unfortunately, the level of his skills are unknown.
To add to that, he will most likely fight someone who is not very well known. This gives fans less of a reason to cross over into MMA and follow Jake Paul. However, if he does take on someone like Nate Diaz, there will definitely be a lot of interest around Jake Paul in MMA.
