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Jake Paul recently announced that he is joining the mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL) and will make his debut in the sport in 2023. Former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub discussed the signing while attempting to predict the former YouTube star's first opponent.
Speaking to The Schmo, Schaub stated:
"Jake Paul is brilliant because he's owning a piece of PFL now and then he's getting the fighters 50 percent so he's doing the Lord's work as far as fighters pay. It's hard to hate on him now, especially when he's putting it all on the line to do MMA. Cowboy [Cerrone]'s down to fight him, but Cowboy had one contingent where you couldn't test him because he's Liver King right now. He's on all the sauce."
Brendan Schaub continued to list out a few potential opponents for Paul:
"Nate Diaz could be there if PFL could afford it. Nate Diaz is the fight... think about the money they'd make. Boxing, MMA, especially if Jake wins that then Nate wins in MMA, there'd have to be a trilogy. That's money... I absolutely love Ben [Askren]. I hope he gets that fight. I don't think it's gonna happen because Ben would absolutely maul Jake when it comes to MMA and wrestling. Jake wouldn't do it."
While Paul has stated that he will make his mixed martial arts debut at some point this year, the timeline remains unclear. There's currently no official information on whether his next fight will be in boxing or mixed martial arts.
Watch Brendan Schaub attempt to matchmake below (starting at the 1:38 mark):
Daniel Cormier believes Jake Paul will actually take a mixed martial arts fight
After signing with the PFL, Jake Paul shared his intention to make his mixed martial arts debut in 2023. Speaking on his podcast, 3 Rounds with Daniel Cormier, the UFC Hall of Famer shared that he believes Paul will indeed compete in a mixed martial arts fight:
"Will Jake Paul actually fight in the PFL? A lot of boxers say they're going to fight, but they never actually do... Jake was a high school wrestler, so was his brother Logan. They weren't bad. Although it seems as though Jake Paul does a lot of things to drum up interest, I believe this one he'll actually fight."
Paul has faced accusations of rigging his boxing matches and avoiding fights with actual boxers. It is unclear what type of competition he plans to face in mixed martial arts. However, he has already called out Nate Diaz, who is currently a free agent.
Watch Daniel Cormier's comments on the former YouTube star joining the PFL below (starting at the 14:13 mark):
