Following his recent boxing match against Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul's next move remains a topic of much speculation. While Paul has expressed interest in continuing his boxing career, his prior signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) has fueled rumors of a potential transition to MMA. This article explores several potential matchups for Paul in the UFC, examining the feasibility and potential challenges of each scenario.
Joe Rogan, a long-time UFC color commentator, has offered his perspective on Paul's boxing career, suggesting that early retirement might be a wise move. Rogan highlighted the potential long-term health consequences of boxing, including depression and brain imbalance, urging Paul to consider the risks. Despite this, Paul remains determined to continue fighting, expressing interest in a matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Paul sounds confident he will bounce back from his first knockout loss and fight again, mentioning interest in a matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. He had just undergone surgery hours prior to taping, but still managed to talk trash as he began to build a potential fight.
Logan and co-host Mike Majlak noted that he had survived longer with Joshua than Ngannou when they fought. In fact, Jake went almost three times as long, making it all the way to round six while the former UFC star was knocked out in the second.
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“I told everyone that I would do better than Francis and that Francis got no chin,” Jake Paul said during a brief appearance. “Francis low-key soft… I’ll fight Francis, wow, that’s a good idea actually. I think maybe now he’ll take it.”
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Potential Opponents in MMA
If Paul decides to transition to MMA, several potential opponents could make for compelling matchups:
Nate Diaz
Jake Paul has already floated the idea of an MMA clash with Nate Diaz, whom he beat in the boxing ring in 2023. On the surface, this matchup makes sense. As a huge name himself, Diaz is a suitable B-side for the social media star-turned-fighter. He's also a free agent, which means it would only be a question of convincing him to accept the fight with Paul.
Several years back, Paul signed an exclusive contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). If that contract is still valid-which is unclear-the fight with Diaz would have to occur under the PFL banner. Unfortunately, that is seemingly why Diaz rejected the idea the first time Paul broached it.
Jorge Masvidal
A potential MMA fight between Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal ticks many of the same boxes as a potential MMA rematch between Paul and Diaz. Masvidal, like Diaz, is a big star in combat sports, thanks to a lengthy and entertaining run in the UFC-meaning he's a big enough name for Paul. He is also a free agent, having parted ways with the promotion following a string of losses several years back.
What makes this matchup more plausible than the Diaz fight is that Masvidal seems more likely to fight Paul outside the UFC. While he has repeatedly expressed his desire to fight for the UFC again, it seems unlikely he'll be given the opportunity, given his recent results. If he can accept that, it's doubtful he'd have any objection to fighting in the PFL if the money is right.
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Anderson Silva
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who is also a free agent, would be another kind of challenge altogether-even at 50 years old. Like Diaz, Silva suffered a decision loss to Paul in the boxing ring. However, he is easily one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, and would challenge Paul with a level of technique that neither Diaz nor Masvidal ever came close to achieving in a cage or ring.
His age, of course, would be a factor in the matchup. He is not as fast or as durable as he once was, which could be just the thing Paul needs to win what otherwise looks like an insurmountable challenge. However, Silva was back in action earlier on Friday's Netflix broadcast, where he scored another highlight reel KO at the expense of former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. If Paul calls for an MMA fight, he'd surely answer, and it would be an extremely tough challenge when the cage door closes.
Donegi Abena
There is one big problem with calling on guys like Diaz, Masvidal, Woodley, and Silva to fight Jake Paul in his MMA debut: They're all way, way more experienced in the sport than he is. If we look at the early phases of Paul's boxing career-really everything up to the Joshua fight, for that matter-his opponents shared a few essential qualities.
First, they were either much older or much smaller than he was. Secondly, and more importantly, they were often as inexperienced and sometimes more inexperienced than he was in the boxing ring. We can expect him to follow the exact blueprint in MMA. If so, he is probably not going to fight a guy like Silva, for example. Instead, Paul will probably be looking to fight someone as inexperienced in MMA as he is, which could mean a clash with a former boxer or even a former kickboxer.
Let's assume his MMA debut will take place in the PFL cage against a fighter on the PFL roster. If that's all true, that could mean a fight with former Glory kickboxing champ Donegi Abena. Abena, who fought the likes of Artem Vakhitov and Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring, spent most of his career competing at 209 lbs. Competitively speaking, that makes him a suitable choice for Paul's first MMA fight-tough but beatable, due to his inexperience.
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Oleksandr Usyk
We would not even mention this option had Oleksandr Usyk not spoken it into existence himself. Usyk, one of the greatest boxers of this generation, first floated the idea of an MMA fight with Paul back in September. For all his boxing skill, Usyk has never competed in MMA, and would therefore be a viable opponent for the influencer. He's also a huge name, which makes him a much more lucrative possibility than somebody like Donegi Abena.
There's just one major problem with this idea, and it comes down to money. Usyk is used to making huge sums of money for his boxing matches-far more than the PFL could afford to pay him to compete in MMA, surely. The UFC could afford to sign him, but if they did, it certainly wouldn't be to fight Paul.
The Joshua Fight and Future Boxing Plans
Jake Paul took a massive step up in competition in his fight against former two-time unified heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua. The heavyweight fight, which MVP has dubbed “Judgment Day,” is scheduled for eight rounds. It will be an official boxing match contested under standard rules - three-minute rounds using 10-ounce gloves.
Although the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), 36, the British mega star and 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, can no longer be considered in his prime he still rates as one of the top heavyweights in the world even though he is coming off a brutal knockout loss.
Conclusion
Jake Paul's future in combat sports remains uncertain, with potential opportunities in both boxing and MMA. Whether he chooses to continue boxing or transition to MMA, his next move will undoubtedly be closely watched by fans and analysts alike.