Donn Davis Reveals All On Jake Paul’s PFL Debut – ‘Jake Is Committed’
The PFL Chairman Donn Davis has opened up about Jake Paul’s PFL debut.
Paul signed a deal with the PFL last year but has yet to make his debut. The Problem Child has developed a reputation for having crossover fights, having faced many MMA stars. Victories against Ben Askren, Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva were some of the names that helped develop his popularity before he turned towards facing better opposition.
He is currently on a four-fight win streak, having beaten Diaz, Andre August, Ryan Bourland, and Mike Perry in his last fight. Paul is scheduled to face Mike Tyson on November 15, live on Netflix, the first time the network will broadcast a boxing fight. Provided that Paul comes through with a win, the attention will naturally turn towards his PFL debut.
Paul’s Options
After Paul defeated Diaz, he made a $10 million offer to the MMA fighter to face him in the PFL. Davis then expanded on those comments, stating that he was willing to go up to $15 million. However, the offer was not taken up, as the fight never materialized. This naturally begs the question, who could Paul face?
One of those could be the former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley.
Paul has boxed Woodley on two occasions, having beaten him both times. He knocked out Woodley in their last fight, which ended the rivalry. Woodley has not had a fight since leaving the UFC in 2021, meaning that it is a viable option.
Another alternative is to run things back with Diaz and increase the offer. Nate is coming off a boxing win over Jorge Masvidal as he beat him via a majority decision. While Diaz has spoken about wanting to return to the UFC, nothing has materialized in that regard. He is open to a third fight with Conor McGregor, while the opportunity to run things back with Masvidal in MMA is potentially there. However, a fight with Paul could make sense since Diaz is not currently tied to the UFC.
Davis Reacts
Another option is to rematch Perry. Paul knocked out Perry in round six in his last fight. Perry is currently with BKFC. However, McGregor responded angrily to Perry’s loss, stating he was fired. McGregor is a part owner of BKFC, and Perry’s next bout in the organization is currently unclear since that loss. Perry does have experience in MMA, having left the UFC in 2021. Since then, Perry has been out of the UFC and focusing on bare knuckle. Paul may take that bout and fancy his chances. Either way, Davis was clear that Paul’s future would become clear very soon.
“Yeah, we’re lining it up. Obviously, Jake is finishing up boxing this year, with this massive fight against Mike Tyson. Then a lot of planning is going into Jake Paul’s [PFL] debut in 2025 and we’ll be sharing those details after Jake gets in the ring with Mike Tyson and we lay out our schedule for Super Fights next year.
“[There’s] plenty of options…and Jake is committed to fighting a very, very credible, well-rounded MMA fighter, and [it’s] not easy to do. It’s not easy to cross over from boxing into MMA. You know, the crossover from MMA or other disciplines into boxing is a lot easier,” Davis said
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