PFL executive doubts Jake Paul will ever actually fight in MMA: “He’s not going to fight anybody”
PFL executive Dan Hardy doesn’t believe Jake Paul will ever step into the cage.
‘The Problem Child’ hasn’t been seen in action since his high-profile meeting with Mike Tyson in the boxing ring last year. That bout saw the 28-year-old dominate the heavyweight legend thirty years his senior, outboxing him en route to a lopsided decision victory. Following the win, Jake Paul called for a longshot bout with Canelo Alvarez. While the Mexican star entered talks with him, he instead signed a deal to fight Terence Crawford under Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season banner.
Nonetheless, Jake Paul is still waiting to book his return to combat sports. Earlier this year, PFL founder Donn Davis stated that ‘The Problem Child’ will finally fight in MMA this year. While some have likely forgotten, Paul signed a deal to join the company in early 2023. At the time, there was no date slated for the YouTuber’s debut. However, there was talk of Paul stepping into the cage in early 2024, after a year of preparation.
Over two years on from the signing, Jake Paul is no closer to stepping into the cage than he was when he joined the organization. ‘The Problem Child’ hasn’t booked any fights, but is busy starring in an HBO MAX reality show, and also promoting boxers such as Amanda Serrano. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, PFL analyst Dan Hardy was asked about the YouTuber-turned-fighter finally competing.
(via PFL MMA)
PFL executive Dan Hardy casts doubt on Jake Paul’s planned MMA debut
There, Dan Hardy largely shot down the idea that ‘The Problem Child’ would be competing in the PFL anytime soon. Given the YouTuber’s recent callout of Anthony Joshua, ‘The Outlaw’ doesn’t see Jake Paul stepping into the cage.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not seeing him make any moves in that direction, certainly from my perspective.” Dan Hardy stated when asked about Jake Paul’s planned PFL debut. “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. Do we ever see him in MMA? I don’t think so.”
He continued, “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 crossover 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.”
What do you make of these comments from Dan Hardy? Do you think Jake Paul will fight in the PFL?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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