Jake Paul vs. Paddy Pimblett? ‘Baddy’ says ‘challenge accepted’ to $1 million sparring session

The secret to fishing is all in choosing the right bait. Jake Paul has made an entire boxing career out of hustling athletes from…

By: Zane Simon | 10 months ago
Jake Paul vs. Paddy Pimblett? ‘Baddy’ says ‘challenge accepted’ to $1 million sparring session
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

The secret to fishing is all in choosing the right bait. Jake Paul has made an entire boxing career out of hustling athletes from other sports to face off against him in the ring. Most recently, he picked up a unanimous decision victory over former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, his fourth straight win over a former MMA title holder.

While Paul’s next professional boxing opponents seem most likely to be either Tommy Fury or Nate Diaz, the celebrity pugilist’s feud with UFC owner Dana White has seen him make regular ovations to face active UFC talent. It may be that he’ll finally get his wish.

Rising lightweight star Paddy Pimblett recently took a swipe at Paul, claiming that the former Disney star’s bouts were fixed. In response, Paul issued a challenge: A 5-round boxing sparring session, in Puerto Rico. If Pimblett “wins,” he walks away with $1 million.

If that offer seems too good to be true, the ‘Baddy’ is ready to find out.

“Challenge accepted,” Pimblett announced in a video posted by ESPN.

Unfortunately for fans hoping to see these two hook ‘em up in the ring in the immediate future, the 27-year-old from Liverpool through in a couple stipulations that make the idea much less likely to go forward.

“But I’m not going to Puerto Rico when I’m fighting next Saturday. If you wanna come and spar, get to the [UFC Performance Institute] next week. As I say, I fight Saturday, I’ll chill Sunday, and I’ll beat you up Monday. Offer’s there.”

Not sure that has the same ring to it as Puerto Rico and a million bucks, but maybe pride alone will see Paul fly to the UFC PI to take on Pimblett for free. Stranger things have happened.

In the meantime, Pimblett is set to face Jared Gordon in the co-main event of UFC 282 on December 10th, in Vegas. The card is expected to be headlined by a bout between Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Share this story

About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

More from the author

Bloody Elbow Podcast
Related Stories