JAKE PAUL has talked up his impending MMA debut by threatening to “KILL” an old boxing rival.
The YouTuber-turned boxer this year signed for the Professional Fighters League, a competing promotion to the UFC.
Paul is coming off the back of a ten-round points win over ex-UFC star Nate Diaz in August.
And both the American and the PFL have proposed a $15m (£12.5m) rematch in the cage.
But Diaz has so far seemed uninterested and instead wants a return in the boxing ring.
So Paul said: “Nate Diaz is a smart man, staying away from me in MMA. He can’t take me down, I have better wrestling than him.
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“Ohio Division-1 state wrestling experience. He clearly can’t punch me. He punches so soft, like pillow hands.
“If we fought in MMA it would only be 15 minutes, which is half the amount of time we just fought.
“I’d up the punch count, up the pace, kill that man.”
Paul, 26, suffered his first defeat in February, losing a split-decision to Tommy Fury, 24, in Saudi Arabia.
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And despite the prospect of rematching Diaz, 38, in the cage, the social media sensation returns in the ring on December 15.
He faces little-known 10-1-1 pro boxer Andre August, 35, as he bids to start a steep climb up the world championship rankings.
Paul said: “I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life.
“So far, my entire boxing career has been on pay-per-view, but now it’s about more than business.
“Now I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters.
“I’m coming to prove my greatness on Friday, December 15th live on DAZN for the world to see.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk