Jake Paul Eyes Future Fight With UFC Champ: 'Will Dana Let Them Out?'
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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.
IT'S ALL OVER!! 🥊💣#PaulPerry pic.twitter.com/O7hARTbg1J
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 21, 2024
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.
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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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