Jake Paul has admitted the only UFC fighter he doesn't want to fight is middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Paul has made a point of calling out MMA fighters during his boxing career, managing to land knockout wins over legends Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. He has also drawn out the likes of Daniel Cormier and Kamaru Usman into public feuds with him, and could face Nate Diaz when he leaves the promotion later this year.
But the one UFC fighter Paul wants no part of is the 185lb champion Adesanya, with whom he has been friends since November 2020, when they were both involved in the Mike Tyson comeback card. The UFC champion was commentating while Paul competed in the co-main event, where he brutally knocked out Nate Robinson.
And speaking on the TimboSugarShow with UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley, Paul said he would refuse a fight with Adesanya, telling the hosts: “Honestly bro, he’s like probably the only fighter in the UFC that I wouldn’t fight. He’s tall as f*** and his striking… I think he’s probably, arguably, one of the best strikers- top three ever in the history of the sport. But there are a lot of UFC fighters and he’s literally really the only one that I wouldn’t [want to fight]."
Adesanya and Paul partied into the early hours of the morning after leaving the event where the fight was taking place. At the time, the YouTuber lived in a plush Calabasas mansion and hosted a private after-party due to strict restrictions in the State around coronavirus.
There, the pair had a lengthy conversation, which Adesanya recalled earlier this year in a podcast appearance. He told Ignore The Noise : "Nah, Jake Paul's no joke. When he fought Nate Robinson, I was there. I commentated that fight and I ended up at his house later on and I didn't realise how big of a fan he was.
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"For me to commentate that fight I had to study what he did from Disney and that's what kind of made me know 'ok, this is what this kid's history his'. Being at his house, talking to him, we talked for a long time and then I kind of realised, like, man, this guy, he's crazy. And guess what? Those are the ones that get it done.
"He was serious about boxing. People just thought, like, he's just doing this for fun, he's just doing this to try and make money, or get clout or whatever, but I was like, no. He's got all the funds. All the access to be able to get it done."
Paul is currently working towards an October return to the ring, with no opponent decided as yet, although an offer has gone out. Meanwhile, Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12 in Madison Square Garden after losing to the Brazilian twice during their kickboxing days.
