A former UFC title challenger has shot down the idea of seeing a huge crossover fight take place in MMA.
In recent times, Jake Paul has made Anthony Joshua his new target after coming incredibly close to securing a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
However, there has also been talk about ‘The Problem Child’ facing a different elite heavyweight who previously beat Joshua on two occasions.
Oleksandr Usyk had named Alex Pereira as one of the opponents he wants to face before retiring but the potential of a big crossover fight may have changed after ‘Poatan’ lost his title at UFC 313.
Usyk shockingly went on to suggest the idea of him competing against Paul in MMA with a recent post on his Instagram story confirming his interest in the matchup.
Dan Hardy says Jake Paul is more likely to fight a much older opponent than Oleksandr Usyk
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, PFL’s Dan Hardy spoke about the prospect of Oleksandr Usyk competing in MMA against Jake Paul.
‘The Outlaw’ confirmed that this wasn’t a stunt from the Ukrainian just to get people talking and that he is serious about wanting to test himself.
Hardy remarked that of all the people to flirt with a potential crossover fight, Usyk is the kind of fighter that would take this risk and with the PFL getting involved on Paul’s side, it could happen.
There is one major hurdle that is in the way of this fight in the opinion of the former UFC title challenger and that’s how good the elite boxer might be in MMA.
Paul does have some experience in wrestling, and he’s been gearing up for an MMA debut for quite some time alongside his boxing career, but Hardy doesn’t see this as a major advantage for the controversial 28-year-old.
He stated that when Paul does compete inside the cage, it’s likely to be against someone who isn’t going to pose as much of a threat, referring to the idea that Usyk might be considered to be too young at 38-years-old.
“I know for a fact that Usyk is interested, like legitimately interested in fighting in MMA and he’s the kind of person, he’s eccentric enough to have a wrestling skillset or he’s like a brown belt in, something like that. I would imagine he’s the kind of person that just happened to pick up a brown belt along the way between fights. He seems like an interesting person who would take to MMA very well.
“The downside to Jake Paul though is unless his wrestling is up to par, that’s a horrible fight for him in boxing or mixed martial arts. Usyk’s a smart guy with great footwork, he’s ambidextrous, I think he would be a problem in mixed martial arts. I think if we see Jake Paul, he’s gonna be fighting someone that’s well into their 40s if it’s an MMA fight.”
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Oleksandr Uysk presents a risk that Jake Paul doesn’t need to take right now
Whilst Oleksandr Usyk may be 10 years older than Jake Paul, as Dan Hardy said, if the social media star is unable to have a significant advantage in the grappling, he’s then going to be involved in a striking match with one of the best boxers of his generation, if not of all time.
A crossover fight against a boxer doesn’t seem unrealistic but Usyk might be seen as a risk that Paul doesn’t need to take until he has some MMA experience under his belt that might give him an advantage against a top boxer.
For the mean time, it would make more sense for Paul to fight opponents with little experience or established names that are no longer in their primes.
He’ll certainly be criticized for this but it has worked for him in boxing, even if an MMA bout with Usyk would be truly fascinating to watch.