YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will make his debut in the cage – once he has taken care of a boxing icon.
The social media star signed with PFL last year, and as part of his equity deal with the promotion has promised to make his long-awaited debut in their patented Smart Cage. But he must first deal with Mike Tyson on July 20 in a massive crossover bout.
Paul will jump up to heavyweight to face the legendary former undisputed champion in the first ever boxing event to be streamed live on Netflix. The controversial bout will be fully sanctioned as professional in Texas, and is expected to draw a sold out crowd to be AT&T Stadium.
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Jake Paul sets MMA debut with PFL after Mike Tyson fight
Paul and Tyson’s massive showdown will take up the social media star’s attention for the next few months. But he does have a background in wrestling and has expressed his interest in fighting MMA for years.
And PFL CEO Pete Murray has confirmed that he will compete in the cage in 2025. Speaking with MMAJunkie, Murray said: “We’re looking forward to dialing that in with Jake and his partner Nakisa Bidarian.
“In this scenario, once again, no shortage of major, major MMA top fighters that want to step into the cage with Jake – including Nate Diaz. That would be an exciting fight. There are others that are lining up – Jorge Masvidal, and there’s more.
“We have options. Jake has options. We’re excited about it, but he’s continuing to focus on boxing right now. He’s got a big event coming up on Netflix against ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the boxing ring, so that’ll be captivating.
“Following that, we’ll see what’s next for Jake. But 2025 is definitely where he and his team are setting their sights.”
PFL CEO guarantees Jake Paul will fight ‘big name’ in MMA debut
Murray listed a few names who are unlikely to get in with Paul, but has confirmed that the eventual bout will feature a major fighter. The social media star has beaten a who’s who of MMA royalty in the boxing ring, but would need to be careful in matchmaking for his cage debut.
However, the PFL boss is eyeing up a name that will be recognisable to fans for that fight. Paul’s boxing CV includes stoppage wins over Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, as well as decisions against Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.
“Jake is committed to fighting major talent in MMA,” Murray added. “We already talked about a couple other names under consideration. It’ll be a big name, and it’ll be the biggest MMA debut ever in the sport.”
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson ruleset confirmed as fight is fully sanctioned
Paul and Tyson have both agreed to fight in a full professional bout which will feature on their records. Paul is 9-1 while Tyson is 50-6, with his last sanctioned outing coming against Kevin McBride in 2005 where he quit on the stool.
Since then, he competed in a 2020 exhibition with Roy Jones Jr which ended in a draw after the pair went the distance. Paul competed on the undercard of that event, knocking out basketball star Nate Robinson.
Due to Tyson being 58 when the fight takes place, rules have been slightly bent for the massive fight. The pair will wear 14oz gloves instead of the standard 10oz and compete over eight rounds of two minutes instead of three.