Jake Paul has grown to be one of the most popular stars in the combat sports world, and that growth has made him an easy target for others in the industry. Paul’s mega-fight against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium was delayed until Nov. 15, but Paul will still be fighting this weekend against former UFC […]
Jake Paul has grown to be one of the most popular stars in the combat sports world, and that growth has made him an easy target for others in the industry.
Paul’s mega-fight against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium was delayed until Nov. 15, but Paul will still be fighting this weekend against former UFC fighter “Platinum” Mike Perry at Amalie Arena.
Perry competes in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, which Conor McGregor and his company McGregor Sports and Entertainment became part-owners of in April. The three-time UFC champion hyped up his fighter while also taking a shot at Paul.
“Look what has happened to Michael Perry, one of our big stars here, the ‘King of Violence’ he titles himself,” McGregor told reporters in a BKFC news conference. “He’s had such a rise in the sport. Now he’s up against a little dweeb of a thing in a fight this weekend that we’re all rooting for him.”
Indeed, part of the appeal of Paul’s fights is fans hoping he loses. It’s what made his bout against Tommy Fury last year so compelling. But there could be concern for the Tyson fight if Paul suffers a loss to Perry this weekend.
McGregor’s comment Thursday came after Paul called him out for saying there wasn’t much interest in the Tyson fight. McGregor doesn’t seem keen on fighting Paul; the 36-year-old also said in his news conference that he’d complete the final two fights in his UFC contract before competing in BKFC. But it certainly would be another mega-bout all fans and promoters would want to see.
