UFC

JAKE PAUL and Ben Askren are on course to become boxing’s fifth most-viewed fight ever with 2million pay-per-views, Triller’s Hollywood backer said.
YouTube phenomenon Paul and retired UFC welterweight Askren are set to box on April 17, on social media app Triller’s ‘Fight Club’ PPV platform.

Jake Paul is set to fight ex-UFC star Ben AskrenCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Ben Askren and Jake Paul are projected to sell 2m PPVsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The brains behind the operation is Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of billion dollar film company Relativity Media, who have produced over 250 movies.
Kavanaugh entered the boxing business with a boom last November, bringing heavyweight icon Mike Tyson, 54, out of retirement.
And on the undercard, Paul, 24, became a viral sensation after knocking out ex-NBA point guard Nate Robinson, 36.
The nostalgia of Tyson’s first fight in 15 years and Paul’s army of fans helped the spectacle event sell 1.6m PPVs.

But Kavanaugh claimed he has the numbers to prove that Askren’s shot at the internet star will surpass those figures and smash at least 2m box office buys.
He told SunSport: “We run some analytics and statistics on our fights in terms of what we project it will do.
“I actually project this fight will be in the top five all-time pay-per-views, more than Tyson.
“A lot of variables go into our AI that’s running but what we look at is the social activity and the type of audience.

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“In Jake’s case, you’ve got a guy that when you analyse the amount of interactivity that he’s getting socially on the content he posts, you basically know that he and that fight is already good for about 1.5m buys.
“Then, you take the fact that Askren brings an MMA audience with him that others don’t, meaning it’s a steeper audience.
“We haven’t announced our undercard yet but we have some pretty awesome fights on that card that will excite even the highest of boxing purists.
“Then you add on all the music talent like we had last time and we’re shooting it a whole different way.
“When you add each of those components we don’t see how we do under 2m buys.”
Paul made his professional boxing debut in 2020, having won an exhibition bout in England in 2018.
He quickly recorded two KOs in as many fights, firstly against online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ and then Robinson.
Paul has since emerged as one of the most polarising characters in boxing after just 12 months in the sport.

Ryan Kavanaugh with actor Channing TatumCredit: Getty Images
Despite not yet beating an opponent with fighting experience, he called out UFC pair Conor McGregor, 32, and Nate Diaz, 35.
With 20MILLION YouTube subscribers behind him, and PPV interest to back it up, the ex-vlogger has promised to become ‘the future of boxing’.
And Kavanaugh reckons if Paul can convince his masses of fans and followers to support his boxing career, he can be good to his word.
He said: “Boxing was not an under 30s sport it was an over 30s sport.
“So what I would say is that he might become the face of boxing, not because everyone in boxing says he’s the face of boxing, but he brings a whole other audience to boxing.
“When I say the ‘face’, if he brings a million people with him to the buys, a lot of them were not buyers of boxing before.”
Despite Paul’s promise as a PPV attraction, he is yet to test himself against a challenger with a background in fighting.
That will change in just under two months, when he faces Askren, who won titles in Bellator and ONE Championship before joining the UFC in 2019.

Jake Paul knocked out ex-NBA star Nate RobinsonCredit: AP:Associated Press

Ben Askren submitted Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 in 2019Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The American, who retired after three UFC fights, is not recognised for his striking skills and instead relied on wrestling and grappling.
But Askren, 36, is an experienced veteran and Kavanaugh argues Paul should be credited for his drastic step up in competition.
He explained: “There’s definitely a big question on whether he’s going to win.
“He’s going up against somebody considered to be one of the best fighters in the world.
“In boxing, I get you’re only as big as your last fight and so on and so forth, just like in Hollywood you’re only as good as your last movie, but I think it’s a bit different with Jake.
“Because here’s a guy that isn’t a traditionally trained fighter, it’s not his first career and he’s getting in the ring with a guy who is a traditionally trained fighter whose spent his life between wrestling and mixed martial arts.
“I think win or lose people will give Jake the credit for getting in the ring with someone who is that ferocious.”

Jake Paul is now 2-0 as a boxerCredit: Instagram @jakepaul

Jake Paul pictured after a training session More

RARE footage of Ben Askren training for his upcoming boxing match against Jake Paul has been released.
Ex-UFC welterweight Askren is coming out of retirement on April 17 to face the YouTube sensation.

Ben Askren training for his upcoming boxing match against Jake Paul

Jake Paul pictured with his boxing trainer Cornelius Bundrage

Jake Paul pictured after a training session

Paul, 24, is 2-0 in his career, both by knockout, and also has a white collar win in 2018 to his name.
While Askren, 36, despite having vast more amount of fighting experience in MMA, was renowned for his wrestling and grappling style.
He has recently been captured preparing for his boxing debut by hitting the pads, landing combinations.
Askren only had six knockouts in his 19 MMA wins, where he won titles in Bellator and ONE Championship.

Former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw is rooting for the American but admitted those in the MMA business are ‘very nervous right now’.
Dillashaw, 35, told Mike Swick: “Askren should win right, but I’m nervous about it.
“You watch him strike and it’s like the MMA world is very nervous right now that he’s gonna be.
“He should win the fight. He should be smart enough.

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“I mean Jake Paul is gonna get tired, he should be able to wear him out and make him lose his explosiveness and dance around and get the win.
“But I wouldn’t say Askren’s the better striker I think he’s just the better competitor and that’s what’s gonna win him the fight.
“At least I really hope so, my fingers are crossed because man, crazy.” More

CONOR McGREGOR has been urged by George Foreman to quit the UFC for boxing – with the Irishman backed to beat Manny Pacquiao.
McGregor, who lost his ring debut to Floyd Mayweather in 2017, was in talks to face Pacquiao this year.

Conor McGregor was KO’d by Dustin Poirier in his last UFC boutCredit: Handout – Getty

Manny Pacquiao during his 2019 win against Adrien BronerCredit: USA TODAY Sports

But after he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier on his return to the UFC in January, plans of a mega-money boxing match with PacMan were shelved.
McGregor, 32, is now instead focusing on revenge against Poirier, 32, who he previously beat in 2014, with the two lined up for a trilogy bout in the summer.
But boxing legend Foreman – the oldest heavyweight champion in history aged 45 – thinks McGregor is better off pursuing Pacquiao.
He told The Star: “It’s hard for McGregor to accept it but he’s a better puncher than he is in MMA.

“I’d rather see him in boxing matches now.
“I think if he has a fight with Pacquiao he can actually beat him – good rules, over ten rounds, McGregor can beat him.
“He’s already adjusted to boxing, he’s not going to do good in MMA anymore.
“Pacquiao is very good as a matter of fact, but McGregor can beat him in a boxing match.”

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George Foreman told Conor McGregor to quit the UFC to box Manny PacquiaoCredit: Getty – Contributor

McGregor and Pacquiao are both managed by Paradigm Sports and as a result came close to striking a deal.
But PacMan, 42, is now training towards a comeback fight in April or May, having not fought since beating Keith Thurman, 32, in July 2019.
UFC president Dana White also revealed McGregor and Poirier are likely to fight each other next, with their rematch selling 1.6million pay-per-views.

Dana White confirms Conor McGregor trilogy with Dustin Poirier More

CONOR MCGREGOR has reignited his feud with Floyd Mayweather by mocking the boxer’s bank balance.
Mayweather’s financial worth has dwindled since he retired from boxing following his tenth-round TKO victory over the UFC’s poster boy.

Conor McGregor has reignited his war of words with Floyd MayweatherCredit: Getty

Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather locked horns with one another in August 2017Credit: Getty

The Money man, whose net worth is believed to be a whopping £510million, was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2018 but hasn’t featured in the top-ten since.
McGregor revelled in Mayweather’s absence from the list, which he also graced in 2018, on Friday afternoon, writing on Instagram: “Happy birthday Floyd!
“We miss you on the Forbes.”
McGregor has yet to feature in the top-ten since his multi-million-pound showdown with the former four-weight world champion.

But The Notorious, whose net worth said to be just over £104m, plans to top it in the near future.
He said: “I’m already a very wealthy man and it is only going to go up, make no mistake about it.
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Forbes’ latest highest-paid athletes list
“This year I have aspirations of being the number one highest-paid athlete on the Forbes list.”

Last month, SunSport exclusively revealed negotiations over a billion-dollar rematch between the rivals had begun.
But Mayweather, 43, is seemingly not strapped for cash as he recently bought his five-week-old grandson a Rolex.
McGregor, 32, made his long-awaited return to the octagon last month in the main event of UFC 257, where he suffered a second-round TKO defeat to former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
A trilogy fight between the former featherweight rivals in understood to be in the works for the summer.

McGregor, the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champion, is itching to get back in the cage with The Diamond, recently writing on Instagram: “What a trilogy I now have on my hands. Exciting!
“With a handle on the leg kicks I will get back to having fun in there. I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I’ve ever been in.
“After the wrestling and clinch exchanges, my shots still held their pop. First time for me with this so I am very encouraged to keep going.
“It was the first time I did not use/nor need the stool between rounds also. I did need the stool after though that’s for sure.

Conor McGregor will be looking to exact revenge on Dustin Poirier later this yearCredit: Getty

“I am extremely happy I did not need to use the stool between rounds here anyway. Another first for me!
“I am most certainly on the right path. Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution.”
The Irishman added: “He added: “One a piece now with a trilogy bout for all the marbles! Wow! Exciting!
“Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be.
“This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!”

UFC chief Dana White claims plans for Floyd Mayweather fight in 2020 collapsed because ‘the world imploded’ More

DANA WHITE said he is a ‘degenerate gambler’ and admitted to losing a staggering $1million boxing bet once.
The UFC boss is a notorious blackjack player but opened up on his love for betting on sports.

Dana White once lost a staggering $1million boxing betCredit: AP:Associated Press

Things did not go so well for him in 2007, though, when he lost $1m after Jermain Taylor was knocked out by Kelly Pavlik.
White told ESPN: “Oh my god. What was the kid’s name? Jermain Taylor.
“And who did he fight? I know this for the ass-whooping I took. He fought the tall, lanky, white kid from Ohio, Kelly Pavlik.
“I bet $1million on Taylor and he got destroyed.

“It was the first time I ever bet $1 million dollars because I was so confident Taylor was going to win that fight.”
White grew up in Boston but in the early 90s he left for Las Vegas after a run-in with crime boss Whitey Bulger.
Living in Sin City, where he later became UFC president, was how his love for betting started.
White said: “I’d say it’s about time. I like it. It’s obviously a thing people love to do.

“It makes whatever you’re watching a lot more fun, a lot more interesting, so I’ve always been for it. But I’m from Vegas.
“I play table games too much. I’m a degenerate if you’re not getting it. I’m a degenerate, yes. I love to gamble.”
Astonishingly, White has been banned from the Palms Casino Resort TWICE due to the success of his blackjack playing.
The first occasion in 2012, saw White retaliate by refusing to put on UFC events at the casino, where The Ultimate Fighter bouts had been staged.
But under new owners, the promoter was invited back in 2014.
It did not lost long, however, as between March 1 and May 21, White claimed to have won $2MILLION.
He found himself again barred from betting there, but this time he was awarded a BELT for being the ‘undisputed blackjack champion’.

His childhood friends Frank and Lorenzo Feritta bought the UFC in 2001, and White was immediately named the promotion’s president.
The Feritta brothers sold the UFC for $4.4BILLION to entertainment company WME-IMG in 2016.
White, who stayed on as president, is said to have pocketed $360m after the sale due to his shares in the company, according to Darren Rovell.
The promoter, who has an estimated net worth of $500m, denied in a 2014 Las Vegas Review-Journal interview that he had a gambling problem.
He said: “Has it affected my personal life? Has it affected my professional life? Have I lost all my money?
“There’s nothing negative about what I’ve been doing lately.”

Dana White confirms Conor McGregor trilogy with Dustin Poirier More

JAKE PAUL has discarded a potential fight with Conor McGregor because he is no longer ‘exciting’.
The Irishman has been chased for a fight by online sensation Paul for some time.

Jake Paul is dismissing the notion of boxing Conor McGregor

Irish UFC star McGregor lost his comeback fight with Dustin PoirierCredit: Getty Images – Getty

An initial foul-mouthed tirade was followed up by slights against McGregor’s partner Dee Devlin, a plane banner stunt calling the Notorious ‘scared’ and a video likening him to a chicken.
But, after the UFC star’s recent loss to Dustin Poirier, the American has claimed he is moving on.
Paul, 24, told SunSport: “Conor McGregor was at the top of that list at one point, but due to his recent losses he’s just not as exciting.
“You know, we’ll see what happens, he can’t even win at his own sport so it doesn’t really make sense for him to come over into boxing.”

The YouTuber continues to call out fellow celeb KSI for a revenge match following the Brit’s win over Paul’s brother, Logan, last year.
But a third professional fight of his fledgling ring career is already pencilled in for April 17.

Former Bellator champion Ben Askren, 36, will take on Paul in his first encounter with a pro fighter.
Askren’s pre-fight jibes have focused on his opponent’s career in front of the Disney cameras, with an ill-fated run in the sitcom Bizaardvark.

Paul claims he will only take encouragement from his past, and added: “I think he’s doing a good job of promoting the fight and talking smack.
“You know, I’m embracing the fact that I’m a Disney teen actor.
“I’m completely embracing that I actually made a side by side comparison of my stats and his stats as as a fighter.
“You know, he’s a two time NCAA champion Olympic wrestler. He’s defeated MMA legends, he has a better record than Conor McGregor.
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“And me on the other hand, I put Disney actor YouTuber virgin, the list goes on.
“But this is why it’s embarrassing for him is because he’s going to get beat up by a kid who was on Disney Channel.
“So you know, he can keep on promoting that I’m a Disney actor, but when I knock him out that just gonna make him look even more stupid.”

Jake Paul says Conor McGregor ‘doesn’t have that hunger anymore’ and says UFC star is ‘way easier’ than Floyd Mayweather More

JAKE PAUL has discarded a potential fight with Conor McGregor because he is no longer ‘exciting’.
The Irishman has been chased for a fight by online sensation Paul for some time.

Jake Paul is dismissing the notion of boxing Conor McGregor

Irish UFC star McGregor lost his comeback fight with Dustin PoirierCredit: Getty Images – Getty

An initial foul-mouthed tirade was followed up by slights against McGregor’s partner Dee Devlin, a plane banner stunt calling the Notorious ‘scared’ and a video likening him to a chicken.
But, after the UFC star’s recent loss to Dustin Poirier, the American has claimed he is moving on.
Paul, 24, told SunSport: “Conor McGregor was at the top of that list at one point, but due to his recent losses he’s just not as exciting.
“You know, we’ll see what happens, he can’t even win at his own sport so it doesn’t really make sense for him to come over into boxing.”

The YouTuber continues to call out fellow celeb KSI for a revenge match following the Brit’s win over Paul’s brother, Logan, last year.
But a third professional fight of his fledgling ring career is already pencilled in for April 17.

Former Bellator champion Ben Askren, 36, will take on Paul in his first encounter with a pro fighter.
Askren’s pre-fight jibes have focused on his opponent’s career in front of the Disney cameras, with an ill-fated run in the sitcom Bizaardvark.

Paul claims he will only take encouragement from his past, and added: “I think he’s doing a good job of promoting the fight and talking smack.
“You know, I’m embracing the fact that I’m a Disney teen actor.
“I’m completely embracing that I actually made a side by side comparison of my stats and his stats as as a fighter.
“You know, he’s a two time NCAA champion Olympic wrestler. He’s defeated MMA legends, he has a better record than Conor McGregor.
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“And me on the other hand, I put Disney actor YouTuber virgin, the list goes on.
“But this is why it’s embarrassing for him is because he’s going to get beat up by a kid who was on Disney Channel.
“So you know, he can keep on promoting that I’m a Disney actor, but when I knock him out that just gonna make him look even more stupid.”

Jake Paul says Conor McGregor ‘doesn’t have that hunger anymore’ and says UFC star is ‘way easier’ than Floyd Mayweather More

JAKE PAUL is wearing his battle scars with pride after picking up a black eye in a sparring session.
And he’s not afraid of ruining his otherwise pretty face as he plans for a long stint in the sport of boxing, hinting top surgeons can mend any lasting damage.

Jake Paul hinted top surgeons can mend any lasting damage in boxingCredit: Instagram @jakepaul

Jake Paul pictured with ex-world champion Anthony Dirrell

Paul broke his nose while meditating in the lead up to his last fight, where he knocked out ex-NBA point guard Nate Robinson.
The YouTuber joked the accidental injury worked in his favour as he admitted to not fearing for his looks.
Paul, 24, told SunSport: “It doesn’t worry me, there’s some great doctors out there nowadays and great dentists. I broke my nose two months ago.
“But what’s funny is that when I broke it, it actually got straighter. So it was actually more crooked before I broke it.

“I actually have a black eye right now from training and from sparring. But you know, it’s it’s it’s all it’s all part of the business and girls love.
“Girls love black eyes. So that’s, you know, it’s actually working in my benefit.”
Paul made his professional debut in 2020, as he beat internet rival ‘AnEsonGib’.
He then enhanced his knockout record to two in as many fights last November, leaving Robinson, 36, flattened in two rounds and into a meme.

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Before boxing Paul, and his older brother Logan, 25, were renowned only for their viral videos and online antics.
The pair also featured as small screen stars on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark for two years.
Paul’s next opponent, retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, was quick to mock the American for his prior career ahead of their April 17 headliner.
And Robinson too made a point of the multimillionaire’s upbringing and questioned whether he had the determination to make it as a fighter.
Paul now warned Askren, 36, that he his words can come back to haunt him, like was the case with Robinson, who was dropped THREE TIMES.
He predicted the former MMA champion will be made to look only more foolish every time he refers to him as a ‘Disney kid’.

Nate Robinson was knocked out by Jake PaulCredit: ZUMA

Ex-UFC welterweight Ben Askren will fight Jake PaulCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Paul said: “You know, I think he’s doing a good job of promoting the fight and talking smack.
“You know, I’m embracing the fact that I’m a Disney teen actor.
“I’m completely embracing that I actually made a side by side comparison of my stats and his stats as as a fighter.
“You know, he’s a two time NCAA champion Olympic wrestler. He’s defeated MMA legends he has a better record than Conor McGregor.
“And me on the other hand, I put Disney actor YouTuber virgin, the list goes on.
“But this is why it’s embarrassing for him is because he’s going to get beat up by a kid who was on Disney Channel.
“So you know, he can keep on promoting that I’m a Disney actor, but when I knock him out that just gonna make him look even more stupid.”

Jake Paul works out with Jorge Masvidal who knocked out Askren in 5 seconds More