PFL founder Donn Davis announced that boxer Jake Paul will be making his debut in MMA this year.
“The Problem Child” was last seen in the ring in November for his premiere Netflix battle with boxing legend Mike Tyson. The fight created a lot of buzz in the combat sports world as Tyson came off a two-decade retirement, but ultimately, Paul defeated the veteran via unanimous decision. Before his win, the fighter had signed a contract with MMA promotion PFL in 2023 but has been more preoccupied with his thriving boxing career. After two years, Paul is finally ready to enter the cage as Davis announced that the boxer will compete in 2025.
Speaking with MMAfighting, PFL Davis says Paul will be fighting under the PFL banner this year, although no date has been set yet. Davis assures fans that they will finally get to see Paul in the cage as the fighter has been training in Jiu-Jitsu and is ready for his first MMA fight.
“I just talked to Nakisa [Bidarian] an hour ago.” PFL founder Donn Davis stated. “Two things are happening: Jake is super successful in boxing. Whether you love Jake or hate Jake, we can all agree that guy’s the man when it comes to generating attention, revenue, and viewership with his boxing career. It’s more successful than it was when we signed him.”
“On the boxing side, that success has delayed MMA because he’s killing it in boxing. So will MMA happen with the PFL? Yes, it will. Has it been delayed? Yes, it has. My guess is the fall of this year, but I don’t think it’s going to be before that. He’s got so many things going on in boxing.”
