Jake Paul calls out Oleksandr Usyk as YouTuber's team claims he is in talks with Ukrainian southpaw over potential MMA bout
Jake Paul has teased a potential blockbuster MMA bout against world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul is set to return to the ring next month when he takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr and the 28-year-old will be keen to keep up his impressive record.
Since his boxing debut in 2020, Paul has won 11 of his 12 fights, with his sole defeat coming against Tommy Fury.
His last bout came in November against Mike Tyson when he secured a victory by unanimous decision and Paul continues to be linked with several big names for future showdowns.
While Paul has focused on boxing so far during his career, he is expected to crossover into MMA in the future given he signed a multi-year deal in 2023 with the Professional Fighter League (PFL).
And, speaking just over a month out from his next assignment, Paul revealed he would be open to fulfilling this commitment and highlighted Usyk as his ideal opponent.
'Yeah, I want to be like Holly (Holm) here and test my skills in the cage,' The Problem Child said, referencing the American boxer and MMA star.
'That's something I'm super, super interested in, and I think it would be a very, very big spectacle. Nate Diaz is still ducking, but we would need to find the right opponent. [Oleksandr] Usyk, maybe.'
Paul's business partner Nakisa Bidarian then weighed in on the comments and raised expectations that a stunning bout between the global two stars could take place.
'Usyk has called out Jake multiple times in MMA,' he added. 'They've been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they want to do that fight in 2026.
'So it's something that we definitely want to pursue.'
Usyk is believed to be open to the fight and Paul gave further hints on what a showdown would look like, although he revealed he still had a way to go to prepare for it.
He said: 'I haven't started any MMA training, so it would definitely be interesting. We are looking at 2026 for that as a possibility.'
Usyk, who holds a superb 23-0 record in his professional career, is next in action on July 19 when he takes on Daniel Dubois for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Usyk has previously hinted at an MMA showdown against The Problem Child on social media
The Ukrainian has been widely tipped to give MMA a go at some point, while he once shared a mock-up poster on his Instagram story of a potential fight with Paul.
Sergey Lapin, a representative of Usyk, has similarly previously claimed 'it might be great' for the Ukrainian to fight Paul in MMA.
Meanwhile, Dan Hardy of the PFL has also expressed his enthusiasm for the Ukrainian moving to the octagon.
'One thing I can say is that I do know that Usyk is absolutely dead serious about fighting in MMA,' he said back in March.
'I can tell you that for sure. Which would be incredibly exciting because I think he would be lethal.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
39 minutes ago
- Reuters
Report: Giants trade RHP Justin Garza to Mets
June 7 - The New York Mets acquired right-hander Justin Garza from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday for cash considerations, the New York Post reported. Garza, 31, has appeared in 38 total MLB games over two separate seasons. In 2021, he went 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA in 21 games as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. He returned to the majors in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox, going 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA across 17 appearances. Garza signed a minor league deal with the Giants and in 19 relief appearances at Triple-A Sacramento this season, he is 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA. --Field Level Media
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Simpson survives two knockdowns to stop Zucco
Super-middleweight Callum Simpson picked himself up off the canvas twice before securing a stunning stoppage victory over Ivan Zucco in his home town of 28, made history as he maintained his unbeaten record (18-0) to become the town's first European champion when he stopped Italy's Zucco in the 10th round at Barnsley FC's Oakwell Stadium. The Englishman dedicated the win to his sister, Lily-Rae Simpson, who died aged 19 in a car accident in Greece last year."Not once did I give up, in those last few rounds I'll be honest I started thinking about my little sister Lily," Simpson said."I'll be honest, I just thought I had to push for her and for everybody. This time last year, Lily was sat up here cheering me on and she was there with me tonight when it got tough, when it got hard."From round eight, I thought, 'I've got to dig deep, I've got to keep pushing, I've got to do it for her'. She was with me tonight."With the win, Simpson puts himself in prime contention for a step up to world level by the end of the the raucous Oakwell crowd feared the worse with only eight seconds on the clock in in the opening round when Zucco downed Simpson with a hard left shook off the early knockdown and buzzed Zucco with some fine punching of his own, but the home favourite was caught too square in the third round, dropped for the second time by a left on by 23,000 inside the football ground, Simpson was not to be deterred and he continued to advance - taking a number of risks along the sensed an opening in the 10th round as he stalked Zucco before launching a stunning left uppercut on the chin of his opponent - who then sank to his knees before beating the was subjected to another punishing uppercut and slumped to his knees but he bravely rose on the count of eight, until a third knockdown meant the Italian's corner pulled their man out of the fight.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie heavyweight Justis Huni suffers shock one-punch KO in interim WBA world title showdown
Australian heavyweight Justis Huni's valiant bid for the WBA Interim world title has been ended by devastating 10th-round knockout to rising English star Fabio Wardley. The 26-year-old from Brisbane had stepped in at short notice to replace injured American fighter Jarrell Miller and for nine rounds looked in complete control in front of a raucous crowd at Portman Road, the home of Wardley's beloved English soccer team Ipswich Town. Boasting a glittering amateur career, including a World Championships bronze, Huni looked keen to display his credentials on the big stage. He demonstrated his firepower from the off, causing Wardley real problems with powerful combinations, mercilessly targeting the body as he racked up round after round on the judges' scorecards. Huni insisted he hadn't flown over 10,000 miles not to try to cause an upset and his stinging right hand, lively footwork and impressive hand speed continued to cause problems as the tiring Briton battled to contain his opponent going into the tenth. But it was then that Wardley somehow pulled out a stunning right-hand from absolutely nowhere, forcing an astonishing KO and sending his relieved fans into wild celebrations. WHAT JUST HAPPENED‼️ FABIO WARDLEY KNOCKS JUSTIS HUNI OUT!! 😱🤯 #WardleyHuni | Live Now on DAZN — DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 7, 2025 The Aussie looked in complete control of the bout until he was floored in the 10th round 'That's my curse. I even said before this fight it only takes one second to switch off, it happened tonight,' Hunis told DAZN. 'I'm grateful to Fabio and his team and to Ipswich to be able to perform in front of you. Get behind him, he's going to do great things. 'He's just an awesome fighter. He never gave up and he got the win, he deserves it. Thank you Ipswich for the opportunity to perform here, I'm grateful.' Wardley, whose win will boost his WBA ranking with the sanctioning body, was keen to praise the previously unbeaten Aussie for his performance. 'I don't profess to being any Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills, but I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight,' Wardley said in the ring. 'Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. I should've performed better in some of those rounds. 'He's a great boxer, some great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight. I didn't expect to bank rounds like that with Justis. I hurt him a bit in the first round and maybe I had too much confidence early on.'
