Conor McGregor‘s long-anticipated return to combat sports might not come under the UFC banner after all as the 36-year-old receives a brand new offer to step into the octagon against Jake Paul.
With his recovery from injury still ongoing and his UFC comeback timeline uncertain, a new contender has re-emerged in the form of The Problem Child, fresh off the back of his victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The American, who is now officially ranked as 14th by the WBA in professional boxing, has issued a fresh challenge – buoyed by the confidence of his sixth consecutive victory and improved 12-1 professional boxing record.
Despite critics questioning the caliber of his opponents in the past, Paul‘s latest performance showcased improved technique and composure, lending legitimacy to his ambitions of bigger fights and now he’s keen to step up the equality of his rival.
“I’ll fight him in MMA. That’s what I said,” Paul stated without hesitation to the JAXXON Podcast, issuing his challenge to the Irishman. “Yeah 100 percent,” Paul added, when asked to double down.
The 28-year-old, who is currently affiliated with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), could meet the UFC veteran in that fighting association if this dream match-up is due to happen.
That’s because of his ongoing feud with Dana White, the president of the UFC, regarding paying his MMA fighters what they deserve – even going as far to challenge 55-year-old to “free McGregor” to allow him to chase fights.
Such remarks make it unlikely that the UFC would greenlight a Paul-McGregor bout under its banner, despite the potential for massive pay-per-view sales – which effectively means the PFL is the only option left.
Paul, for his part, believes he’s capable of competing with the Notorious McGregor in mixed martial arts, despite the latter boasting 22-6 record that yielded him the Lightweight and Featherweight UFC belts.
“He [Conor] would probably try to take it to the ground after he like felt the pop,” Paul said. “So I’d probably just work on Jiu Jitsu.
“I have takedown defense, right? I was a wrestler in high school.”
To support his case, Paul cited an early match against Dean Heil, a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, whom he claims to have pinned in 20 seconds during his freshman year. McGregor has not responded publicly to the offer.
Could Paul and McGregor head to Bare Knuckle Fighting?
McGregor‘s potential opponents are not limited to Jake Paul either as the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) standout, Mike Perry, has also expressed interest in facing both fighters.
Perry, who co-owns the organization alongside the Irishman, offered two fight suggestions as he suggested he could take on Paul or Darren Till; the latter also from the UFC.
Perry, who fought Paul in 2024 as a stand-in for Mike Tyson, lost via TKO in the sixth round, but appears eager for a rematch under BKFC rules. He also opened the door to McGregor too.
“He’s always talking s**t,” Perry told Newsweek. “But you know that’s the name of the game. Like we’re fighters, you know what I mean?
“We don’t need beef to fight. Everybody wants to see me and Conor fight in Bare Knuckle.”
With Jake Paul open to fighting in MMA and Perry inviting a bare-knuckle war, McGregor‘s path back into combat sports could bypass the UFC altogether, something that might not be in the best interests of Dana White from a financial perspective.
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