Jake Paul has spoken out about sensational talks between his brother Logan and legendary UFC fighter Conor McGregor over a potential super-fight in India.
The Irishman is one of the sport’s all-time greats, becoming the first to hold belts in two weights, and attracting millions of new MMA fans with his entertaining fighting style and lively post-event interviews.
He last entered the Octagon in July 2021, losing to Dustin Poirier in his trilogy bout at UFC 264 and suffering a broken leg.
McGregor announced on social media on Tuesday morning that he had agreed terms for a fight against YouTuber Paul, who has focussed more on his WWE career since his last significant bout against Dillon Danis in October 2023.
The out-of-the-blue statement rubbished suggestions he would be taking on Spanish-Georgian featherweight Ilia Topuria, while also hinting at a return to the Octagon in the near future.
Now Logan’s brother Jake, fresh from a dominant win over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last month, has broken his silence on the big news which hit boxing this week.
Jake Paul has weighed in on a potential fight between his brother Logan and Conor McGregor
The Irishman, one of UFC all-time greats, announced the contest on Tuesday on social media
Paul has fought twice in his career professionally, losing to KSI before beating Dillon Danis
He posted on X: ‘Now it all makes sense why Conor McGregor & his management team have been desperately trying to get MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) to negotiate for a fight between us.
‘As we told them privately & I’m now saying it publicly…the only way we’re willing to explore me vs Conor in a pro boxing/mma fight is if Dana White/UFC are at the table directly or make it clear they are ok with discussions.’
‘Problem Child’ Paul offered a prediction ahead of the contest, doubtless the first of many as anticipation mounts in the coming weeks and months.
‘Conor is washed,’ he added. ‘Needs the Pauls. Logan by however he wants.’
As part of the shock announcement, McGregor also teased his long-awaited return to the UFC, three years after his last outing.
‘The rumours of a bout with [Topuria] are false,’ the 36-year-old wrote on X on Tuesday.
‘I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambrani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed.
‘I will then seek my return to the Octagon,’ he concluded in his short statement.
Conor McGregor has fought in the boxing ring before, against Floyd Mayweather in 2017
Paul also fought Mayweather (left) back in 2021 in a non-scored exhibition match
The shock claims fly in the face of McGregor’s previous remarks about his next fight, with the Irishman suggesting two monhts he would be taking on Dan Hooker as his comeback bout.
He seemed to reveal the identity of his next opponent in a conversation with Bloody Elbow’s Donagh Corby at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Marbella in October.
‘February 1, Saudi Arabia,’ he said. ‘Dan Hooker.’
In the interim he has been linked with a number of other opponents for his return to the UFC, with former lightweight contender Michael Chandler offering himself as a potential adversary for a comeback fight.
Chandler had previously called for a fight with McGregor after his defeat by Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Indeed, the American claimed he had received ‘reassurances behind the scenes’ about a potential UFC showdown with the Notorious.
The pair have long been slated to meet inside the Octagon, and they coached The Ultimate Fighter season 31 against one another last year.
The news of a third foray into the boxing ring, however, perhaps comes as a shock, with Paul set to be McGregor’s next opponent after a professional clash with Floyd Mayweather back in 2017 and an exhibition meeting with Michael McGrane in Dublin two years later.
McGregor appeared in court in his native Ireland accused of ‘brutally raping and battering’ 35-year-old Nikita Hand at a hotel in Dublin in 2018.
The UFC icon was found liable of assaulting a woman in a recent civil case earlier this year
Michael Chandler claimed he received ‘reassurances behind the scenes’ about a potential UFC showdown with McGregor
Logan’s brother Jake, meanwhile, beat Mike Tyson in a one-sided contest last month
In November, he was ordered to pay nearly €250,000 (£208,000) in damages after a jury found him liable of assaulting Hand.
The former two-weight UFC champion has vehemently denied the claims, and released a statement on social media indicating that he will look to appeal the verdict.
He wrote on X: ‘As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.’
Earlier on Tuesday he said on the social media platform: ‘I was found liable for assault, and guilty of nothing. I will be pursuing all the defamatory writings about me.’
In Paul he finds an opponent who has fought twice professionally, beating Danis in 2023 and losing to fellow YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI in 2019.
The 29-year-old also faced five-weight former world champion Mayweather, this time in an exhibition contest back in 2021 in a non-scored draw.