Jake Paul and Oleksandr Usyk had a surprise face-off after Usyk's big win over Daniel Dubois. Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, suggested an MMA match with the heavyweight champ.
Usyk just knocked out Dubois in the fifth round, keeping his undisputed heavyweight champion status. He's still got all the belts - IBF, WBC, WBA, and WBO.
Paul's been busy too. He beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a cruiserweight bout back in June. Now, he's eyeing bigger fish. Paul posted on social media, congratulating Usyk and proposing an MMA match:
"Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time Usyk on a huge win. I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world."
It's a bold move from Paul, who's known to have a wrestling background from his younger days.
Usyk's team had some interesting thoughts on the idea. They said a boxing match between the two would never happen - it could lead to "jail for murder". But an MMA match? That's a different story.
"Well Jake Paul, you know, when it comes to Jake Paul we're not talking about the boxing because we would be probably put in the jail for murder … we all understand we can't put Jake Paul and Oleksandr in the ring for boxing, there is no way, and Oleksandr will never do that, but of course because Jake Paul was a wrestler and what I heard he was a good wrestler when he was growing up, he knows how to wrestle, he knows how to fight a little bit. I think MMA would be the perfect thing to do."
Most fight fans probably aren't clamoring to see Usyk vs Paul next. They're more likely looking forward to potential matchups with Tyson Fury or Joseph Parker. Paul's also been linked to a possible bout with Anthony Joshua.
But in the world of combat sports, you never know what might happen. We'll have to wait and see if this unexpected challenge leads anywhere.
