Jake Paul has been offered a contract to sign with Khabib Nurmagomedov's new Eagle FC to make his MMA debut this year.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has gone 5-0 with four knockouts in his career since debuting in January 2020, and has been considering a transition to the cage this year.
He was spotted training kicks at a gym in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, and is courting offers from Bellator, PFL and now Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC for his first fight.
And the former UFC lightweight champion, renowned as one of the greatest fighters in the sport's history, has said that a deal has been put to Paul, for which he is awaiting a response.
Eagle FC made their debut in America last night with Sergei Kharitonov and Rashad Evans winning in the main and co-main events.
“We offered him, we offered him [a contract],” Nurmagomedov said at the event in Miami, Florida. “Now we’re waiting on his answer. If he wants, we’re here.”
But Nurmagomedov's manager and business partner Ali Abdelaziz says that the legendary fighter will only be interested if Paul is serious about moving into the sport.
He understands the commercial value behind Paul's name, given that the 25-year-old's profile is one of the biggest in the sport due to his internet fame.
But when it comes to making the switch to MMA, Abdelaziz has yet to be convinced that his interest is genuine.
“I don’t know if Jake Paul is ready to come fight some of these guys," Abdelaziz told Yahoo Sports.
"Listen, at the end of the day, Khabib is not into these jokes and pranks; all this kind of stuff.
"If you think you’re a real fighter and you for real, you wanna come here, you're going to fight.
"But if you think you’re going to get feed up old, washed-up fighters – and somebody can’t wrestle, can’t grapple – it’s wrong.
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"But at the end of the day, it’s a business. Jake Paul is a big star. They say he’s a big star.
"I don’t know, like, some people said he had big numbers, some people – you know, his YouTube number is huge. I don’t really have nothing personal against him.”
Paul has previously said he would like to train with Nurmagomedov at the American Kickboxing Academy with his coach Javier Mendez for his MMA debut.
He told media before his rematch with Tyron Woodley last month that he would be linking up with 'Team Khabib' whenever he decides to transition to the cage.
But Mendez poured cold water on the idea, saying that they had never discussed any such move and that it would need to be approved by training partners in the gym.
Paul is currently engaged in a bitter feud with UFC boss Dana White over fighter pay issues, and yesterday dropped a diss track on the promotional boss where he slammed him for his treatment of athletes.
