Jake Paul’s PFL Debut Options

Jake Paul is yet to make his PFL debut, despite signing with them in 2023, as we look at a list of people he could face. 

Paul has been expanding his combat sports career in the boxing ring, amassing an 11-1 record. He is set to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his next fight in June, with a view to eventually chasing a world title shot. Reports indicate that Paul is open to boxing the WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Badou Jack. Meanwhile, there are also suggestions he could face off against Gervonta Davis. 

However, not much has been said about Paul’s MMA career. He broke headlines when he signed with the PFL, as it came amid the news that Francis Ngannou had also joined the promotion. Other big names followed, such as Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. 

Paul’s Options

This raises questions over who Paul could face. One of the names linked initially was Nate Diaz. Diaz’s last MMA fight was in 2022 when he defeated Tony Ferguson. Since then, Diaz has been having fights in the boxing ring. He lost to Paul in a unanimous decision on his boxing debut. However, he followed up that loss with a majority decision victory over Jorge Masvidal. Paul reportedly offered Diaz $10-15 million to fight under the PFL, but unfortunately, the offer was not accepted.

There is an opportunity to face off against Tommy Fury. Fury gave Paul his first loss in the boxing ring as he secured a split decision win. While there was talk over a rematch, no fight got made. Paul had reportedly made a two-fight offer to Fury between $15-20 million. One of those bouts would have been a rematch in the boxing ring, with the other in the PFL. Fury has been pictured training with UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall, raising suggestions that he could face off against Paul at some point. 

There is also an outside chance of Jake facing off against his brother: Logan Paul. They have been making inroads in different combat sports. Paul has established himself as one of the most lucrative fighters in boxing, whilst Logan is a mainstay in WWE. The brothers also have a wrestling background. It also allows the Paul family to make a lucrative sum, sharing the split between them.

Paul And Usyk

The most recent name that Jake has been linked with is Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk made history by becoming the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Tyson Fury. The win made him undisputed in a second weight class, following his achievements at cruiserweight.

He is scheduled to face Daniel Dubois in his next fight in another Undisputed Heavyweight Title fight. Should Usyk come out victorious, he could potentially make a fight in MMA. Paul and his team revealed that the Ukrainian has reached out about a fight, with suggestions it could take place in 2026.

“We would need to find the right opponent. [Oleksandr] Usyk, maybe,” Paul

“Usyk has called out Jake multiple times in MMA. They’ve been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they wanna do that fight in 2026. So it’s something that we definitely want to pursue,” Nakisa Bidarian