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‘Announcement soon’ – Jake Paul reveals link-up with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez ahead of MMA debut with ‘big organisation’
Jake Paul claims he is edging closer to his MMA debut.
‘The Problem Child’ has parlayed his internet celebrity status into a lucrative boxing career that has seen him pick up five wins from five fights so far.
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Paul holds boxing wins over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, retired NBA player Nate Robinson, former Bellator MMA champion Ben Askren and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, who he beat twice.
The 25-year-old will meet MMA icon, Anderson Silva, on October 29 in an eight-round, 187lbs catchweight fight in Phoenix, Arizona as he looks to silence the doubters of his fighting credentials.
In June 2021, Silva returned to the boxing ring after 16 years away for a sanctioned pro contest against ill-disciplined former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Chavez Jr is the son of Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
Remarkably, Silva beat Chavez Jr by a split decision in Mexico.
He then went on to KO fellow aging MMA legend Tito Ortiz in another pro boxing bout in September 2021 before dominating an exhibition bout with Bruno Machado earlier this year, though no official result was given for this contest.
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Earlier this year, Paul, who has a long-standing feud with UFC president Dana White over fight pay, announced his intention to make his MMA debut at middleweight.
Ahead of his latest fight, the controversial crossover star claims talks about his transition to a second sport are going well and an announcement about his fighting future will be made soon.
“I’m working with a big organisation right now. A whole thing in MMA that also has to do with me fighting and we’re gonna have an announcement soon,” Paul said on his podcast.
Paul says he plans to link up with MMA coach Javier Mendez, who has trained the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, and Islam Makhachev.
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“Javier Mendez said he would train me, so I’ll go to AKA [American Kickboxing Academy]. I’ll probably need, like, a year, a year and a half to get the kicks down. I already know Jiu-Jitsu, he added.
“I wanna be able to do everything in there. At least checking kicks. I know how to wrestle already.”
With Paul’s MMA debut seemingly still a way off, he is already lining up his next few boxing matches that could see him face the likes of UFC legend Nate Diaz and undefeated British prospect Tommy Fury.
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