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Jake Paul Eyes Future Fight With UFC Champ: 'Will Dana Let Them Out?'

Although Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson remains the plan for November in Texas, the ex-YouTuber has bigger goals ahead and he has a message for UFC CEO Dana White.

Zain Bando

(Credit: Esther Lin/MVP)

Jake Paul continues to deliver on his word. Although Saturday night's KO/TKO against BKFC star Mike Perry didn't occur until Round 6, Paul made his presence known in front of a sold-out Amalie Arena. He wants to set his ceiling even higher, assuming he gets past Mike Tyson in November.

Paul dropped Perry three times in the fight, with the stoppage coming too late. Nevertheless, Paul's seventh KO/TKO and 10th professional win should come as little surprise to those who pay close attention to his career – one that mainly stems from accepting fights against opponents in different disciplines – not actual boxers.

So much so that the Ohio native kept the crossover theme alive, excitedly calling out current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Pereira is coming off back-to-back title defenses and KO'ed Jiri Procházka in June to put away the rivalry for good likely.

Boxing News: Conor McGregor Lashes Out at Jake Paul, Mike Perry: ‘You’re Fired'

Paul was vocal during his in-ring interview with famed combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, calling out Pereira for a potential fight, which Pereira caught wind of in a FaceTime call that surfaced on social media.

"I said, ‘Yo, can you get out of your contract? If you can get out of his contract, then let's run in.' When I asked him that, he had to pause; he looked at his manager.," Paul said. "You know, these guys aren't their own bosses. I want all the smoke. But at the end of the day, will Dana let them out? That's too big of a risk if I could embarrass his number-one prized fighter right now. But I want all the smoke. I want all the MMA guys, and I've been all the way, so who's next? He's the king of the UFC right now. So I want him. I'm going to decapitate him and dethrone him."

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry: “Fear No Man” Live Boxing Results & Highlights

Jake Paul vs. Alex Pereira Would Not Be The First Major UFC-Boxing Crossover

MMA fighters competing against boxers is nothing new. Former UFC double champion Conor McGregor was the first significant star to transition from MMA to boxing and nearly took Floyd Mayweather Jr. the distance in 2017. Although he is 0-for-2, Francis Ngannou has tried his hand at boxing as well. If the fight were to happen, Pereira would be the first-ever light heavyweight to relinquish his belt to accept a fight with Paul.

For now, time will tell if the fight is a fantasy or a farce, but for now, the world seems in-tune with Paul's every move. His fight with Tyson is targeted for Friday, November 15, in Arlington, Tex. at AT&T Stadium.

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Zain Bando

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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