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Jake Paul made quite a bold claim, saying that former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is afraid of him.
The controversial YouTuber-turned-professional boxer has been one of the most talked-about personalities in the combat sports world as of late, thanks to his antics inside and outside the ring.
Jake Paul went viral by knocking former NBA player Nate Robinson out in their 6-round boxing match last November. Afterwards, Paul began to call out some of the biggest names in the MMA world, most notably Conor McGregor. According to Paul, he plans on knocking everyone in McGregor's team out, before eventually knocking the UFC star out as well.
In his latest call-out, Jake Paul claimed that Conor McGregor was 'scared' of him:
Conor McGregor has yet to respond to any of Jake Paul's challenges however, as 'The Notorious' is in training camp for his UFC 257 bout against Dustin Poirier in January.
If Conor McGregor can get through Dustin Poirier without any damage, is it possible that we see a boxing match with Jake Paul in the coming year?
Preparing for Conor McGregor? Jake Paul to meet Ben Askren in boxing match
Since knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson last November, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has had his sights set on even bigger names in the combat sports scene. Paul has called out the likes of Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis, and other MMA fighters and challenged them to boxing bouts.
It seems like Paul will be getting his wish in 2021, as former UFC welterweight and former Bellator and ONE world champion Ben Askren accepted his challenge for a boxing match:
"Yes Mr. Jake Paul, I do accept. I know you called me out after your last fight against that bum Nate Robinson and, listen, it's a pretty simple choice. I'm gonna make a whole bunch of money to beat up a guy who is pretending to be an athlete, because at the end of the day, that's what you're doing. And I know you may think I don't have too many stand-up skills, but I don't really need to. I'm a world class athlete, I've won NCAA titles, I've been to the Olympics, I've won belts in multiple mixed martial arts organizations, and quite frankly I am impressed that you've deluded yourself to thinking that you are actually a fighter, that you're really tough, that you can really box, it's quite impressive, that beating up another YouTuber and beating a boxer who looks like he had never been in the ring before, makes you somehow good at boxing, 'cause it doesn't. So yes, Jake, I accept. I will see you March 28th, in Los Angeles, and I will humble you, like millions of people want to see happen."
Ben Askren is a world champion in multiple organizations, but he isn't really known for his striking prowess. Still, Askren is an MMA veteran with a 19-2 professional record, and has wins over the likes of Jay Heiron, Douglas Lima, Shinya Aoki, and Robbie Lawler.
Askren announced his retirement from MMA following his loss to Demian Maia in 2019.
