No Joke: Jake Paul Signs Deal With PFL
Yep, you read that headline correct. According to the New York Times, the infamous Jake Paul has signed a multi-year deal to fight with the PFL in 2023 and beyond. It seems that “The Problem Child” is putting his money where his mouth is and competing in MMA in the future.
The deal also gives Paul equity in the promotion and creates a new “Super Fight” division that will be a pay per view exclusive. The division is meant to bring in fighters who will drive viewership and they will receive a 50% revenue split from distributors ESPN and DAZN.
According to the announcement, Paul will compete in boxing once this year and twice in MMA.
In addition to the fight deal and equity in the promotion, Paul will also become “Head of Fighter Advocacy” furthering his mission of war with the UFC and Dana White by fighting for increases revenue split.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Welcome to the Professional Fighters League @jakepaul pic.twitter.com/pgMDUprK6S
— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 5, 2023
Jake Paul and MMA
Jake Paul is no stranger to MMA. He’s fought MMA fighters in boxing four times. First was the Ben Askren fight which he won via TKO in round 1. Then he took a decision over Tyron Woodley. Woodley, of course, stepped in on short notice a second time and Paul knocked him out in admittedly spectacular fashion. Most recently, Paul took on and defeated Anderson Silva by decision, knocking down the UFC champ in round 8.
Now Jake Paul sets his sights on MMA and capturing the market share there as well. He is about eyeballs and making as much money as possible so expect his opponents to be quite…different. I don’t expect to see Paul fight against Rob Wilkinson, the current PFL champion, or Omari Akhmedov. Personally, I expect something more novel to start out. Regardless of what happens or who he fights, we’re in for quite the ride.
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In addition to covering MMA for My MMA News, Blaine Henry, the author, also analyzes fights from all combat sports across the globe.
Blaine Henry can be found on Twitter, on his Substack, an YouTube.
