As he prepares to come up against former two-time unified world champion Anthony Joshua, the ever-ambitious Jake Paul has expressed his interest in fighting one of the biggest names in MMA.
Paul, who boasts a 12-1 record since turning professional in 2020, will face Joshua on December 19 in an eight-round heavyweight contest at Miami's Kaseya Center.
"The Problem Child" was scheduled to face Gervonta Davis in an exhibition on November 14 but the fight was cancelled after allegations of abuse were made against the former three-division world champion.
Davis would have become the seventh person on Paul's "hit list" of desired opponents.
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After turning professional, the YouTuber-turned-boxer created the list that featured Davis and 11 other names – Canelo Alvarez, Conor McGregor, KSI, Kamaru Usman and Logan Paul, Ben Askren, AnEsonGib, Nate Robinson, Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz and Tommy Fury.
Paul has previously called out Canelo and McGregor on numerous occasions, while KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, has long been touted as a potential opponent.
But ahead of the Joshua bout on Friday, Paul has set his sights on a different opponent. Step forward, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Speaking to ESPN, the 28-year-old spoke about his desire to face Pereira as he spoke about Dana White's new boxing promotion Zuffa Boxing, which is set to launch in January 2026.
"[Dana being a boxing promoter] definitely makes it easier for that fight to happen," Paul said.
"But I don't know if the UFC will ever let one of their MMA fighters do a boxing match again. But I hope, and I'd be ecstatic if it could happen. But, ultimately, I think one of their superstars taking a loss against a Disney kid isn't good for their business."
Paul also mentioned Terrence Crawford, who recently announced his retirement from boxing.
"It was very close to being Crawford instead of Joshua," Paul said. "It really just came down to a timing thing and wanting to market a fight with Crawford properly."
He added: "Maybe we do it in 2026 and align the schedules because we were very close to making that fight happen. It's a massive fight and when I beat Joshua it will be even bigger."
How to watch Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua if you don’t have Netflix
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Sky is currently offering its ‘Stream on Screen’ package - including Netflix, discovery+ and much more - for just £15/ month. It’s Sky’s lowest-ever price and will allow you to watch the big fight live along with Sky Atlantic, Sky Stream and Sky Essential TV.
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Topics: Boxing News, Boxing, Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua
Jack Kenmare