Jake Paul has intentions on being a two-sport athlete.
The YouTuber-turned boxer returns the ring later this month where he will take on BKFC sensation Mike Perry in a hastily-arranged bout which came about after Paul’s originally-scheduled opponent, the 58-year-old Mike Tyson, was forced to withdraw from their July 20 bout after experiencing health complications while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in recent weeks.
But with Paul set to throw down with Perry under boxing rules, he says he is also more than open to the possibility of a showdown under the auspices of the PFL, with whom Paul has a deal.
“I’m down, when I beat Mike Perry in boxing, [let’s do] it,” he told DAZN, as noted by Boxing News.
“We can run it in MMA,” the former Disney child star said. “I want an MMA fight, I mean, the [PFL] smart cage is literally right there. Once I start in MMA, my wrestling background is going to come out, and I think I’ll be a very dangerous MMA fighter as well. So, Mike Perry can get it, my hands are trisexual.”
In Perry, Paul faces a stern test of his ring prowess. The former UFC welterweight has garnered a reputation as being among the finest fighters in the Conor McGregor co-owned Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he has earned wins over well-regarded opposition like Eddie Alvarez, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Luke Rockhold and Thiago Alves.
And while Paul is more than confident in his hands, he suggests that he would also be too much for the MMA veteran on the mat.
“Cap! Why not bare-knuckle? Why not box bare-knuckle? I’ll take your back, jiu-jitsu is not something that just, wrestling and jiu-jitsu that’s not something you just keep in your back pocket,” he said.
First thing’s first, let’s sort of what happens in the ring in Florida on July 20.