Jake Paul has three UFC names on his radar for potential crossover fights, and he is not being polite about how he views at least one of them. Speaking to Complex News, Paul discussed potential matchups with Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Ilia Topuria, noting that UFC contracts were the obvious roadblock in each case. Of the three, Topuria drew the most colorful commentary.
Paul addressed Topuria’s comments about wanting to spar with him by framing the entire conversation as something he does not take seriously, citing a track record he believes speaks for itself.
“I think a lot of these guys, and I’ve proven it time and time again with the best strikers from MMA, and just beat them pretty easily at an earlier point in my career. And so when they say they can beat me in boxing or whatever this stuff they’re saying is, is like a joke to me.”
He also claimed he has tried to turn talk into action before, citing an offer he made to Paddy Pimblett that never materialized.
“I finally just want someone to get in there with me. I tried to send a jet to Paddy Pimblett actually to spar and I was going to give him a million dollars. And then it’s just radio silence and I’m guessing it’ll be the same with Topuria. They have to publicly, when they’re on the live stream, say, ‘I’ll do it right now. Let’s do it.’ And then when it goes to happen, it just doesn’t come to fruition.”
Paul acknowledged that the ruleset matters when it comes to Topuria, giving the UFC lightweight and former featherweight champion full credit in MMA while leaving no doubt about how he sees a boxing match playing out.
“We will see. And I have respect for him, but in a boxing match, like that’s like, that’s like honestly a warmup for me. Like not even like all jokes aside, if we did MMA, he would probably win, but you just have to know the truth.”
When the conversation turned to Paul’s claim that he would not need headgear to spar Topuria, he doubled down and went after Topuria’s size directly.
“Yeah, no, it would be like playing with a little toy. I’m not even kidding. And also he’s like five five, you know. If we were the same weight, he’s a good striker, same height, it would probably be closer. I would still beat him, but he’s like, he can’t even ride roller coasters, you know. Like the guy is tiny.”
Topuria is currently preparing to defend the undisputed UFC lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House.