Paige VanZant: “I don’t know that Jake Paul actually believes everything he says”
YouTube celebrity Jake Paul has been stirring the pot since entering the combat sports world, taking shots at some of the biggest names in both boxing and mixed martial arts. Earlier this week it was announced that Paul would be fighting former UFC fighter and Bellator, ONE FC champion Ben Askren in a boxing match, and after the fight was announced, Paul took aim at the difference between MMA and boxing, which caught the attention of some fighters. One of those fighters, Paige VanZant, says she’s not sure the YouTube celebrity believes all of his own words.
On her new radio show ‘Knuckle Up Radio’ on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation, VanZant responded to Paul’s comments about the difference between MMA and boxing where he said “boxing is an art, MMA is a brawl”. VanZant who has competed under the UFC banner and has an upcoming BKFC fight against Britain Hart next month responded to Paul’s comments of MMA being a brawl and boxing being an art.
🎙️ "I don't know that Jake [Paul] actually believes everything he says." @paigevanzant responds to Jake Paul's comments made towards the sport of Mixed Martial arts 🔊
📻Full Episode 2 of Knuckle Up Radio with Paige VanZant: https://t.co/VnTuQt0FnQ pic.twitter.com/6ZQVkeRzeP
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 28, 2021
“Yes, boxing is an art, but MMA is also an art. There is a lot that goes into being a professional MMA fighter. Back in the day fighting was a karate person versus a boxing person and you wanted to see who would win. It was taking these individual styles and trying to figure out which one was better. And it wasn’t until the Gracies came along and you saw jiu jitsu and wrestling, and all of that beats just striking, if you can only strike. It’s about evolvving and being the best fighter all around that you can be.”
VanZant would continue on to say that she feels like Jake Paul doesn’t even believe all the things he’s been saying around the combat sports world.
“You know what, and sometimes I don’t know that Jake [Paul] actually believes everything that he says. He’s an influencer for a reason so I can listen to him talk and be like ‘That pisses me off, that makes me so mad that he would say that.’ But then I have to remember ‘Wait a second, he is an influencer.’ And he is extremely talented at what he does, him and his brother both. They have made a storyline. Every headline in the sports world is about him right now because of what he says. He’s taken a pice of Conor [McGregor], a piece of Chael [Sonnen] and now he’s created a narrative in a sport where it’s giving him the opportunity and the platform to make a ton of money and, you know, good for him for talking his way into a professional boxing match with a wrestler.”
While Ben Askren is mostly known for his time in the UFC and being on the wrong end of a five-second knockout at the hands of Jorge Masvidal, his pedigree is predominantly in wrestling. As for Jake Paul, he has a 2-0 professional boxing record with his last win coming against former NBA star Nate Robinson back in November.
Jake Paul has certainly gotten the attention of many inside the combat sports world including Paige VanZant, but she does make a valid point as a social media influencer herself, Jake Paul knows how to garner attention.
