Jake Paul reportedly targeting MMA debut in 2025

There’s no denying that Jake Paul has changed the game of fighting in a big way, as he continues to take on bigger talents in every fight. The YouTube star turned professional boxer began his rise in the boxing world by first taking on English YouTuber Deji Olatunj in 2018. Just two years later, he would make his professional debut against YouTuber AnEsonGib.

Read more: Jake Paul on Upcoming Fight with Mike Perry: ‘It’s a Big Risk’

Paul then went on to have a string of boxing victories between 2020 and 2024 against former UFC fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz. He defeated all of them. Paul’s only professional loss was to boxer Tommy Fury.

Many have criticized Paul for fighting MMA fighters who are either retired or no longer with the UFC promotion and are not traditional boxers. Paul has even gone so far as to say that he could fight in MMA and be just as successful as he has been in boxing. Fans and critics have long criticized Paul for this, but it appears that the famed boxer will be making his debut soon.

Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, was recently a guest on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, where he revealed what his client has planned for his MMA debut.

When Helwani asked Bidarian if “there’s a chance” that Paul could finally fight in MMA, Bidarian said, “I think if the fight makes sense, that’s absolutely something that Jake would want to do. Right, when I say ‘makes sense’ I mean let’s see how this fight goes, how it performs, and if there’s interest, Jake has said he’s 100% willing to do MMA with Mike Perry.”

Paul is currently scheduled to fight former UFC and current BKFC phenom Mike Perry on July 20. The impromptu boxing match replaces the fight that would have been between Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson, but Tyson suffered a medical scare and was unable to train for a short period of time, resulting in their bout being postponed.

Perry stepping in on short notice to fight Paul is one of the most talked about stories in the sport, especially considering Perry is one of the most relentless strikers in MMA. He currently holds a 5-0 undefeated record in the BKFC, having previously defeated former UFC fighters Thiago Alves, Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold.

According to Bidarian, Paul and Perry are also toying with the idea of ​​facing each other in an MMA fight after their boxing match in July.

Interestingly, Paul announced in 2023 that he would be making the switch to MMA, but his debut has yet to happen. Bidarian indicated that “everything has to align” for Paul’s debut to happen, but they are targeting an MMA debut sometime in 2025.

Paul is still scheduled to fight Perry on July 20 and follow that up with the rescheduled fight with Tyson on November 15. Based on how injured or not he is in either fight, the fight commission could sit him out for an extended period. A 2025 MMA debut sounds like a safe bet.