Jake Paul is down to accept Khabib Nurmagomedov’s invitation but there’s a catch.
Paul has been known to ruffle some feathers within the boxing and MMA community. He’s even taken aim at UFC President Dana White over the issue of fighter pay. While Paul has done a lot of boxing as of late, he wants to have an MMA fight down the road.
Taking to his Twitter account, Jake Paul sent a message to White saying he could cut down to 170 pounds. With that said, he prefers to make the middleweight limit.
This prompted a response from future UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former UFC Lightweight Champion offered an invitation to Paul to fight for his promotion.
the doors of @EagleFightClub always open for you and your team.
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 23, 2022
“The doors of Eagle FC always open for you and your team.”
Paul said he’d be willing to make the trip to Eagle FC if it means going one-on-one with Nurmagomedov.
по рукам. только если я буду драться с тобой первым.
deal. only if I fight you first. https://t.co/4oRAZq8Ez3
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 23, 2022
“Deal. Only if I fight you first.”
It’s an interesting proposal by Paul. After all, Jake insisted to reporters that he’d be training with Javier Mendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy (h/t ESPN).
“I don’t see why if I can do boxing at this high of a level that I couldn’t do MMA at this high of a level,” Paul said. I’m gonna go get coached up by Jav Mendez, Team Khabib. That’s that. They’re down — 100 percent. I’ve gotta go 10-0, 12-0 in boxing first and then I’ll hit that MMA fight.”
Javier Mendez later told The Schmo that while he’d be open to Jake Paul training at AKA, he’d need to get voted in by everyone at the gym (via Middle Easy).
“It could happen but like anybody, we have to go through all the coaches and all the fighters that are here. Anybody that’s a famous athlete like him they would go through the routine that everybody does. So, he would have to get voted by everybody. If there’s one person in particular that doesn’t want him here, he can’t be here. So, everybody would have to vote.”
Paul is fresh off a sixth-round knockout victory over former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley. The two had a rematch back in December 2021 after their first encounter ended in a split decision in favor of Paul.
Any chance Khabib Nurmagomedov entertains Jake Paul’s proposal?