Oleksandr Usyk has addressed Jake Paul’s audacious proposition to fight him in an MMA fight, following their face-off at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Usyk had just stopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their undisputed heavyweight world title clash before Paul stormed the ring in front of over 90,000 fans.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer stood face-to-face with the Ukrainian for around 10 seconds, before the pair shook hands and exchanged what appeared to be amicable words.
After the fact, Paul took to social media to issue an unprecedented challenge to Usyk, while hailing him ‘one of the greatest heavyweights of all time’.
The 28-year-old wrote: ‘Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time @usykaa on a huge win. I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world @MostVpromotions.’
Usyk pocketed a staggering £100million from his dominant win over Dubois – and it seems that the 38-year-old is hungry for another blockbuster payout, which would undoubtedly be the case if he fought Paul.
Oleksandr Usyk sensationally declared that he is ‘ready’ to fight Jake Paul in an MMA event
The two stood faced off after Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight championship victory over Daniel Dubois
On X, Paul respectfully hailed the Ukrainian as ‘one of the greatest heavyweights of all time’
‘Jake Paul came to the ring for a face-off. I’m ready to fight with Jake Paul in MMA rules. I’m ready but I need to rest,’ Usyk sensationally declared.
Paul then urged his manager, Nakisa Bidarian, to get the deal done, posting: ‘Yo @nakisa_bidarian, line up these fights. It’s go time.’
Paul joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2023, signalling his intent to launch a serious MMA career, though as of now he is yet to make his octagon debut.
The social media sensation is notoriously willing – at least with his words- to punch above his weight, and has publicly addressed the idea of fighting a number of professional boxers.
Shortly after Paul beat Mike Tyson last November, Dubois challenged him to a legitimate heavyweight title fight which never materialised, though Paul’s camp insisted they were open to the idea.
Paul has also challenged Anthony Joshua, with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh revealing he would speak to the Brit about such a prospect. Joshua, meanwhile, has not commented.
Paul has a professional boxing record of 12 wins and one loss, with seven wins by knockout and only one decision defeat by Tommy Fury.
His victories include high-profile wins over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, Tyson, and most recently Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
