Jake Paul is once again a hot topic in the media with a vow to KO Conor McGregor in his first MMA match.
Jake Paul has been a popular topic in the media several times over the past few years, and not typically for good reasons. Paul is currently making a statement to the UFC that he wants his first MMA fight to be against Conor McGregor, and he believes he will win.
Though this may seem like a crazy idea, Paul is actually challenging McGregor for a good reason. Paul is a strong advocate for raising the pay of UFC fighters, and he wants to make a deal with UFC president Dana White to increase fighter pay if he beats McGregor.
“If I win, then Dana has to increase the minimum of fighter pay. If I lose, then they can take all of the money and whatever and so be it. But, I know I can beat Conor,” Paul told TMZ.
Could Jake Paul actually beat Conor McGregor?
There are a lot of factors to consider when dissecting the big question of whether or not Paul has a chance at beating McGregor. McGregor faced a broken fibula and tibia last summer during a fight against Dustin Poirier which required surgery. He’s been slowly easing back into fighting and is now confident that he can return, even though he has not fully recovered yet.
“April, they said I can spar again and I can box again basically. So I’m just going to take it day by day. Hopefully, now, once I get back sparring, I’ll know weight, I’ll know feel, I’ll know my own style. You know what I mean?” McGregor told SevereMMA. “I’m going to develop a different style, I’d imagine, so I’ve been shadowboxing a bit lately and I feel like I’m just getting the bearing of myself. But I feel good. I’m grounded on my feet, I can stop and start and take off. It’s just the little twists or a torque, I’ve just got to be careful on. But this will be a here today, gone tomorrow type of thing in my own head. The bone will recover, it’ll connect back to itself and it’ll be like it never happened.”
Under these circumstances, Paul thinks he could beat McGregor. Paul seems to be looking at McGregor’s injury as an advantage in believing he could take down McGregor.
“He doesn’t realize that Conor and I weigh the exact same right now,” Paul told TMZ. “Conor’s walking around at 190, I’m walking around at 190. I can beat Conor, and people think, ‘Oh, this kid’s crazy,’ and yeah, I am like [of course], that’s why I’ve gotten this far. It’s because I’m crazy, and I believe in myself, and Conor is on a downhill spiral. His limbs are all broken, so a stand-up game is coming out knocking him out in the first round.”
Paul may have a shot at beating an injured McGregor, but it wouldn’t be as much to celebrate as beating McGregor in his best health.
What will it mean for the UFC if Jake Paul beats Conor McGregor?
The UFC has not yet agreed to Paul’s terms of increasing pay, but if they do, all UFC fighters making the minimum amount will see a pay increase. Of course, there is the strong likelihood that the UFC will ignore this challenge and the fight won’t happen at all. Theoretically, if all goes as Paul would like, UFC athletes would be rewarded.