Jake Paul And Ilia Topuria Agree To Spar

Jake Paul and UFC two-division champion Ilia Topuria traded verbals on an Adin Ross livestream after which they agreed to spar. 

The verbal altercation came when Topuria, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, was asked his opinion on Paul’s boxing career. Topuria didn’t mince words, saying Paul “sucks.” Paul responded as they agreed to a future sparring session. Paul then quickly pivoted to fighter pay. 

“You can’t do anything. You make probably $2 million a fight and he (Dana White) just paid Conor Benn ($15 million). Then how come you weren’t on the highest-paid athletes list? Where were you? We missed you! We missed you on the list this year. Brother, you get paid as much as an NFL rookie. Like, congrats,” Paul said 

Topuria Reacts

Topuria immediately hit back, reminding Paul of his recent sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2025—a fight that left Paul with a broken jaw. Topuria stood his ground, stating that Paul has insecurities. 

“The difference between me and you is your value is based on perception. You need to sell that. You need to say to your fans how much you are making because you need to fulfil something that you are missing inside yourself,” Topuria stated 

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