Jake Paul eyes cruiserweight return in 2026 or Ngannou fight

Jake Paul plans to return to boxing at cruiserweight before the end of 2026, though a heavyweight matchup against Francis Ngannou has not been ruled out, according to his business partner Nakisa Bidarian.

Paul has been out of action since suffering a sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December, a defeat that broke his jaw and required surgery to fit two titanium plates and remove several teeth. The 29-year-old has recently returned to the gym, Bidarian told BBC Sport, and is focused on getting back in the ring at cruiserweight, the division where he previously held a spot in the WBA rankings.

Ngannou callout remains live after March confrontation

The one exception to Paul's cruiserweight plans would be a bout against Ngannou, who competes on the undercard of the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano card on 16 May. Paul called out the former UFC heavyweight champion at a Los Angeles press conference in March, telling him he "ran away from him like a duck." Ngannou fired back: "I really didn't want to fight you, but now I want to beat you."

Bidarian confirmed Paul also has interest in an MMA bout against the winner of Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry, who meet on the same May card promoted by Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. Paul beat Diaz in boxing in 2023 and stopped Perry in 2024, but both Diaz and Paul have called for an MMA rematch. "I think the winner of that fight is a great MMA match-up for Jake Paul, if he wants to do MMA, which he's always consistently said he does," Bidarian said.

Paul would need six to eight months of dedicated MMA training, Bidarian added, noting Paul's high school wrestling background but lack of jiu-jitsu experience. The earliest Paul could realistically compete in mixed martial arts would be late 2026 or early 2027, depending on how quickly he rounds out his grappling game.

Source: bbc.com