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Oleksandr Usyk responds to Jake Paul's MMA fight call-out after the pair faced off at Wembley following undisputed heavyweight clash

Oleksandr Usyk responds to Jake Paul's MMA fight call-out after the pair faced off at Wembley following undisputed heavyweight clash

Daily Mail​20-07-2025
Oleksandr Usyk has addressed Jake Paul 's audacious proposition to fight him in an MMA fight, following their face-off at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Usyk had just stopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their undisputed heavyweight world title clash before Paul stormed the ring in front of over 90,000 fans.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer stood face-to-face with the Ukrainian for around 10 seconds, before the pair shook hands and exchanged what appeared to be amicable words.
After the fact, Paul took to social media to issue an unprecedented challenge to Usyk, while hailing him 'one of the greatest heavyweights of all time'.
The 28-year-old wrote: 'Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time @usykaa on a huge win. I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world @MostVpromotions.'
Usyk pocketed a staggering £100million from his dominant win over Dubois - and it seems that the 38-year-old is hungry for another blockbuster payout, which would undoubtedly be the case if he fought Paul.
'Jake Paul came to the ring for a face-off. I'm ready to fight with Jake Paul in MMA rules. I'm ready but I need to rest,' Usyk sensationally declared.
Paul then urged his manager, Nakisa Bidarian, to get the deal done, posting: 'Yo @nakisa_bidarian, line up these fights. It's go time.'
Paul joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2023, signalling his intent to launch a serious MMA career, though as of now he is yet to make his octagon debut.
The social media sensation is notoriously willing - at least with his words- to punch above his weight, and has publicly addressed the idea of fighting a number of professional boxers.
Shortly after Paul beat Mike Tyson last November, Dubois challenged him to a legitimate heavyweight title fight which never materialised, though Paul's camp insisted they were open to the idea.
Paul has also challenged Anthony Joshua, with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh revealing he would speak to the Brit about such a prospect. Joshua, meanwhile, has not commented.
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