UFC Legends, Boxing Superstars Or His Own Brother: What’s Next For Jake Paul?

The Problem Child sensationally stopped former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in six rounds on Saturday night
15:05, 21 Dec 2021

Jake Paul moved to 5-0 (4) with a sensational sixth round stoppage of Tyron Woodley on Saturday night. Despite that incredible knockout, which is still doing the rounds on social media, it was, in truth, a pretty woeful fight for the most part and it seemed the second meeting between these two lacked much of the buzz previous Jake Paul fights have carried.

The YouTuber’s next bout needs to generate many more thrills and spills then if the Jake Paul hype train is to keep on chugging along into the new year. Below, we’ve taken a look at the potential opponents on the horizon for Paul.

Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz

Both UFC stars were in attendance for the event in Florida on Saturday night although they departed long before Paul’s highlight reel stoppage of fellow MMA fighter Woodley. They did however still find themselves targeted by the precocious YouTuber in the immediate aftermath of his stunning victory.

“Masvidal and Nate Diaz, y’all are some bitches for leaving this arena, because I know you don’t want that sh*t. I’ll take out both of y’all next. Just get out of your contract with Daddy Dana, and I’ll fuck them up, too!”

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As entertaining as the build up to either of these fights would be, UFC head honcho Dana White is unlikely to allow either man out of their contracts with the organisation. Given the success of other stars from the Octagon against Paul, like Woodley and Ben Askren, it also seems far too big a risk for the promoter to allow them to stay under contract but still clash with Paul on a one-fight deal. 

Tommy Fury

Tommy Fury had been a mere week away from fighting in the opposite corner to Paul at the weekend, but the British light heavyweight boxer was forced to pull out through injury with Woodley stepping in in his place. This fight definitely makes the most sense of all the options out there for ‘The Problem Child’.

The pair are mired in a genuine animosity for one another, with the build-up to the originally scheduled fight littered with vicious and personal barbs. It also helps that the Love Island star is also a genuine pugilist, something that has gone amiss in Paul’s five fights thus far and must be addressed immediately. Paul insisted that Fury wouldn’t get a second shot at him after dropping out but we think there’s a mighty good chance we’ll see these two duke it out in 2022. If not, we’re sure big John Fury would be chomping at the bit for a scrap with the YouTuber  - it's probably a better fight on paper, too.

Saul 'Canelo' Avarez

Even in the bonkers landscape that boxing finds itself in right now, where UFC legends, elderly former champions and social media stars go head-to-head on an almost monthly basis, you’d struggle to envision pound-for-pound superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez entertaining the idea of a fight with Paul.

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Before the Woodley rematch, Paul told Showtime, “I will fight Canelo 100 per cent.

“Look at this guy Avni Yildirim. His nickname was ‘The Turkish Warrior’. He sat down in the corner and quit. He didn’t throw a punch.

“Why can he get the fight but I can’t? I’m bigger than that guy. I’m stronger.”

With the Mexican superstar moving up to cruiserweight, size difference won’t actually be an issue between the two but the fact Canelo is currently chasing immortality within the sweet science and Paul is still looking for an opponent who can actually box, we’ll file this one under “Never Going To Happen” for now. 

Anyone else?

Conor McGregor is a name who has often been mooted alongside Paul’s and the pre-fight build-up and numbers generated would no doubt be extraordinary if it were to happen. Like Diaz and Masvidal though, ‘Notorious’ is contracted with the UFC so there could be some red tape. 

Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, who beat up a geriatric Evander Holyfield earlier this year, called out Paul in the aftermath of his win over ‘The Real Deal’ offering a $30m ‘winner takes all fight” on Triller. 

Meanwhile, his own brother could be on the cards. When asked about fighting Logan Paul, another YouTuber turned boxer, he replied, "It's talked about so much. Who knows if it will happen. It's on the cards.

"The weird part is what we would actually do in the moment."

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