Share

Jake Paul Slams MMA, Says It’s ‘Becoming a S——r Version of Boxing’


Jake Paul has taken aim at the sport of mixed martial arts as he fired back at UFC president Dana White’s claims that boxing is not the sport it once was.

Speaking on the All The Smoke Fight Podcast, Paul directly opposed White’s view by claiming that MMA is the sport that is actually on the wane.

“MMA is not what it was. That’s the truth of the matter,” Paul argued.

“Boxing is bigger than ever. The biggest sporting event of the year, in 2024, was boxing, whereas MMA is becoming a s******r version of boxing, essentially.

More news: UFC Star Alex Pereira Wants Jon Jones Over Trilogy Fight With Israel Adesanya

Jake Paul attends the press conference for LIVE on Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at the Toyota Music Factory on November 13, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix

“It’s kickboxing, because everyone is getting good takedown defense and everyone’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. So there’s no more submissions, really, there’s not a lot of takedowns, and even if there is it’s f*****g boring. But everyone is good at takedown defense. So, it’s literally kickboxing.

“Guess who the biggest star of the sport is in MMA? Alex Pereira, who is a kickboxer. Because he’s knocking everyone out, blah, blah, blah. And he’s the best one because no one can take him down, no one can submit him, so he’s just knocking everyone out.

“The UFC has less significant strikes, per round, and that’s with five-minute rounds. So boxing is going to stand the test of time because it has. It’s been (around) since the 1500s. So, 500, 600 years of boxing. I don’t think MMA — I’m not long on MMA, because it’s becoming boxing.”

Despite his many detractors, Paul’s transition into boxing has been an undeniable success. He’s been able to pull good crowds and generate legitimate interest in his fights, having fought a host of former UFC fighters, including Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry.

Most recently, Paul boxed 58-year-old Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas in a huge event that was streamed live globally on Netflix.

Paul’s comments on MMA are particularly interesting given the fact that he’s been closely aligned with an MMA promotion himself. Paul signed a deal with the PFL back in January 2023 to help spearhead the promotion’s newly-created pay-per-view superfight division as its co-founder.

In the announcement video, Paul stated that he would be the PFL’s “head of fighter advocacy,” saying that he would “use my platform to market PFL fighters and introduce them to my fans worldwide.”

“I personally will be deeply involved in making sure the PFL is the best place in the world for fighters,” he said.

“I’m taking this seriously. Yes, I still want to become a world champion in boxing. But, as you guys know, I was a wrestler first, and when all of these influencers started boxing and calling people out, you recall, I said I wanted to do MMA.

“I’ve already disrupted boxing, and now it’s time to disrupt MMA. I know this is such a tough sport and it’s not going to be easy, but if I can do it in boxing, I can do it in MMA.”

More news: Dricus Du Plessis Says Facing Fellow UFC Champion Would Be ‘Easy Payday’

He even said that he’d signed with the division as a fighter, and offered Nate Diaz a two-fight, two-sport deal to first box, then compete in MMA in the PFL SmartCage. The pair eventually fought in a boxing match in August that year, but their return bout in MMA is yet to materialize.

Two years on from that announcement, Paul still hasn’t fought in the PFL and, given his most recent comments about the sport of MMA, those eagerly looking forward to his PFL debut may find they’re in for a long wait.

More MMA:

Michael ‘Venom’ Page Says He Still Has Unfinished Business at Welterweight

Conor McGregor Takes Aim at Nurmagomedov Family in Social Media Rant

For more MMA, head to Newsweek Sports.



Source link