With a boxing fight against Mike Tyson scheduled for November Jake Paulo wants to make his MMA debut early at UFC 303 and has targeted bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.
Paul was originally scheduled to face Tyson in the boxing ring on July 20, but due to a medical issue with the boxing legend, the fight was rescheduled for November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In the meantime, Paul may want to keep busy by stepping into the Octagon for his first MMA fight, and is targeting a UFC champion, albeit a much lighter one, for a UFC/PFL crossover fight later this month at the UFC. 303.
“100% they will kill Omalley in MMA,” wrote Paul on X. “He is a small man. PFL x UFC on June 29th.”
100% will kill Omalley in MMA
He is a small man
PFL x UFC on June 29
-Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 12, 2024
O’Malley, who fights at 135 pounds, is the current UFC bantamweight champion. Paul is preparing for a heavyweight fight against Tyson, and weighed 200 pounds in his last fight against Ryan Bourland in March.
Last January, Paul signed a multi-fight contract with the PFL to compete in MMA at Super Fight pay-per-view events.
In May, PFL CEO Pete Murray told MMA Junkie that the promotion expected Paul to make his MMA debut in 2025 after the fight against Tyson. However, that was before the delay due to Tyson’s health, and Paul apparently has other plans now.
While there is a near-zero percent chance that Paul will face O’Malley inside the Octagon, or anyone else at UFC 303, there is a possibility that the YouTuber-turned-boxer will make his MMA debut against someone close to his weight below the UFC banner. PFL.
UFC 303 is currently facing uncertainty with its main event as pessimism about the fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler grows as the event quickly approaches.
The PFL will host 2024 PFL 6 on June 28, the day before UFC 303, but considering how the promotion has previously spoken about how it intends to handle Paul’s debut inside the cage, that move seems unlikely.
