JAKE PAUL is still on the search to find his first opponent in MMA – and could turn to some familiar boxing faces.
Paul is 10-1 in the ring but signed with the Professional Fighters League to make his cage debut.
The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter and PFL are still combing through their options having been ready to offer £10million to Nate Diaz.
Paul said: “Just about finding the name. We have the money, we’re ready to go. We’re ready to make offers to people.
“It’s just like they have to be able to draw sales and it has to be a fight where it’s like this is my first MMA fight.
“So I think I could beat Nate Diaz in my first MMA fight. It would be tough of course, 50/50 fight.
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“But I don’t wanna go into something where I’m gonna be outclassed, like fighting Khabib in my first MMA fight.”
Paul, 27, beat ex-UFC star Diaz, 39, in their 2023 boxing bout but his calls to rematch in MMA have been snubbed.
So he could instead turn to Jorge Masvidal, 39, or even former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, 42, who he twice beat in boxing.
Paul said: “Nate Diaz, Masvidal, I would face in MMA and then I don’t even know like who else is out there that would that would make sense really.
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“Tyron would be interesting for sure. I think that could be like a good plan. That would go crazy.”
Paul suffered defeat for the first time last year by losing a split-decision to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia.
He is desperate to avenge the result and even put up a £20m package to fight Fury, 25, in both boxing and MMA.
Paul revealed: “I think that’s actually still a discussion. So that could be interesting for sure. Me versus Tommy in MMA.”
The American returns to the ring on November 15 in a controversial clash against boxing icon Mike Tyson, 58.
So it leaves Paul’s MMA debut delayed even further despite building a custom ring in his Puerto Rico gym.
He admitted: “I haven’t started training, just the boxing takes up so much of my time and that’s what I’m focused on and until an MMA fight comes up.
“That’s when I’ll focus on it and I’ll probably need like an eight-month camp if I do an MMA fight just the eight months to do jiu-jitsu, kicking all that stuff.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
