Jake Paul has teased an announcement with a "big organisation" as he prepares to crossover from boxing to MMA.
Paul, 25, is 5-0 as a professional boxer but has expressed interest in crossing over to the cage. 'The Problem Child' looks for his sixth win inside the ring against UFC legend Anderson Silva on October 29 and has also seemingly agreed to fight Love Island star Tommy Fury in February after their two previous meeting fell apart.
Paul previously stated he wants to go 10-0 in boxing and win a world title before fighting in MMA, with PFL boss Peter Murray admitting he would entertain talks with Paul whilst Bellator president Scott Coker stated he would " gladly " have him fight for his promotion. Paul has remained quiet in recent months about an MMA move, but recently teased an announcement despite being booked to face Silva next month.
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“I’ve got an announcement coming soon, I can just tease that,” Paul said on his BS podcast. “I’m working with a big organisation right now on a whole thing in MMA that also has to do with me fighting and we’re going to have an announcement soon. I want to do it, and Javier Mendez said he would train me. I'll go to AKA, I probably need a year, year and a half to get the kicks down. I already know jiu-jitsu. I want to be able to do everything in there — at least checking kicks [in that aspect]. I know how to wrestle already.”
Paul has never competed in MMA before at any level, but was tapped out during a 2018 'fight' with talented grappler AJ Agazarm. Mendez, who has coached former UFC champions such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Luke Rockhold, previously said that Paul will have go through an initiation at his gym in California before he is able to train there.
"It could happen but like anybody you know we have to go through all the coaches and all the fighters that are here and anybody that's a famous athlete like him," Mendez told The Schmo. "They will go through the routine that everybody does so he would have to get voted by everybody. First of all, he's never asked. What he's done is he's marketed himself beautifully.
"I loved the plug he gave us, I think it was a fantastic plug and I think he's a fantastic person. He in turn gave me a create return favour by talking about training with us. The reality is no matter who you are, you have to go through the team to get consent to train with us. He hasn't been given consent because he hasn't asked, it's not that he won't I just know he hasn't asked."
