Jake Paul compared to Tommy Morrison by UFC legend who is worried about ‘friend’ Mike Tyson

Jake Paul has earned high praise from UFC legend Urijah Faber.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer is often derided for his lack of skills after building a 9-1 record by beating ageing UFC stars and unknown boxers.

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Paul is now set to face one of the sport’s biggest legends, Mike Tyson, in a fight that is worrying some as there’ll be a 31-year age gap when they meet at AT&T Stadium in Texas on July 20.

However, he’s found an unlikely ally in Faber, who earned a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame with 35 MMA wins and fights with Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao.

‘The California Kid’ compared Paul to Tommy Morrison – a heavyweight known for his ferocious punching power, who starred alongside Sylvester Stallone as Tommy Gunn in Rocky V.

“I think Jake has some real skillsets that are God-given,” Faber told .

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“Obviously, he’s working hard but it’s hard to knock people out.

“That knockout power, in my opinion, he’s not quite at that level yet but [he’s like] Tommy ‘Gunn’ Morrison. He looks the part, he’s about the same size and he’s obviously got some natural power.”

Faber is personal friends with Tyson and won’t count him out against the 27-year-old, but he is worried about his ability to take shots as he knows from personal experience it gets harder with age.

The 44-year-old hasn’t fought since suffering his first proper knockout loss against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 245 in December 2019.

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Faber added: “I know Tyson, he’s a friend of mine.

“When I was hanging out with him, he was chain-smoking weed and handling business.

“Everybody reacts differently to that type of stuff, but from what I see he seems to be in the best shape I’ve seen him in a very long time and taking this very seriously. I don’t think power goes away.

“It just depends on if Tyson is going to be hit or not. I know with age it’s harder to take a punch.”

“I’m interested, that’s all that really matters. I think its danger on both sides.”