Jake Paul gave an interesting response when US President Donald Trump proposed that he fight a UFC legend in his next bout.
Paul met Trump earlier this week, with the 79-year-old delivering a speech at a rally in Kentucky, while the social media star joined him on stage.
The President even suggested that he could see Paul running for political office in the future, saying: “You have my complete and total endorsement, OK?” while the boxer laughed along.
A video of the pair discussing combat sports was also posted to Paul’s YouTube channel following the rally.
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Paul, who heads up Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) while also competing in boxing, has previously shared a ring with some of the biggest names from the UFC and boxing, including Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, Mike Tyson and, most recently, Anthony Joshua.
Last time out against former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Joshua, Paul sustained a broken jaw after being knocked out in the sixth round of the contest, which took place in Miami.
Paul later underwent surgery on his jaw in February 2026 and has explained that he may not return to the ring until late 2026 or the early part of 2027.
But who could his next fight be against?
In a sit-down interview with the President, Paul discussed his career so far before Trump asked: “So, who do you fight next? Would you ever fight him [Joshua] again? No?”
“That’s a good question,” Paul answered. “No, [I wouldn’t fight Joshua again], I don’t think so. I think I need to stay at my weight class. I think Francis Ngannou.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has recently signed a deal with Paul’s MVP and is due to fight Brazil’s Philipe Lins on the undercard of Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano, which will be broadcast on Netflix on 16 May.
Paul then claimed that he would be interested in competing in MMA, teasing a potential fight against heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk as well as potential showdowns against Ryan Garcia and Tommy Fury before asking Trump: “Who would you want to see me fight?”
Trump quickly replied: “Well, I... I... probably Khabib [Nurmagomedov], how about Khabib?”
Paul responded by saying he was “down” for the bout against the former UFC lightweight champion.
Khabib retired with an undefeated record of 29-0 back in March 2021 and boasts notable wins over fighters such as Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
It is unclear whether Khabib would be willing to fight Paul.
Last year, Khabib said that a return to MMA would be unlikely due to the demands of training camp.
"If we’re being honest, it would take at least six months,” the fighter said on the Hustle Show.
"Because when you’re getting in shape—sometimes people make this mistake—here’s what happens, you look at this: ‘This fighter’s in good shape ahead of the fight.’
"But that doesn’t mean anything. How he looks means nothing.
“What matters most is how many sparring rounds he’s done and who he sparred with.”
He added: “You can’t just say, ‘Give me six months, I’ll be ready. No. To get into fight shape, to get back to your old form, you need a lot of time.
"But back when I was still fighting, before I retired, I trained regularly too, and that was enough for me. It worked.
"If I was given a fight, boom, in 100 days I’d shut everything off. Completely.”
Khabib also explained how he’d “get a panic attack” if he even missed just one training session before fights.
Topics: Jake Paul, Donald Trump, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Boxing, UFC, MMA
Luke Davies