UFC star Michael Bisping criticizes Jake Paul for not challenging ‘real fighters’: 'He’s picking off smaller guys’
CLEVELAND, OHIO: Jake Paul's professional boxing career has had a distinctive beginning. In August 2018, "The Problem Child" competed in his one and only amateur boxing match, which served as a precursor to the future upsurge of influencer boxing that became widespread in 2023.
Paul began his professional career by defeating a fellow YouTuber, Nate Robinson, before moving on to well-known MMA fighters. Robinson was a former member of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
‘He’s a little p***y and he’s picking off smaller guys’
The 26-year-old Paul has a 6-1 record after winning all of his fights against former MMA competitors. Next weekend (Saturday, August 5, 2023), he will compete against another former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star in Dallas, Texas. However, Michael Bisping, a former middleweight champion of the UFC, recalls a period when Paul came close to convincing him to resume his combat sports career.
“The sooner we shut up and stop talking about the little coward, Jake Paul, the better it is. Jake Paul sent a contract to my management asking me to box him a while ago. I said, ‘Yeah, sure’ if you up the offer a little bit. And then guess what, we never heard back from him because he’s a little p***y and he’s picking off smaller guys and non-boxers," Bisping told Betway.
He added, “The one time he fought a boxer, Tommy Fury, he lost. Is he going after the rematch? No. He fights Nate Diaz who is almost 40 and is not a boxer. He can box a little bit but is a smaller guy that used to fight at 155 pounds. Conor [McGregor] is also probably too small, Conor’s probably better than him, but there’s weight classes for a reason.”
‘They make out they’re so tough’
Paul last competed in February 2023, losing to Fury in a split decision for his first career loss. Paul was initially eager for a rematch since it was his first fight against a "real boxer" before turning his attention back to Diaz, whom he had been criticizing before prior fights.
At the time of the alleged prospective combination, the 44-year-old Bisping was still seen as a tough test for Paul despite his advanced age and physical deterioration. In the end, "The Count" simply doesn't resonate with the generation that has recently entered the boxing scene.
“I don’t know why Jake Paul and Logan Paul constantly look for challenges which favor them, fighting is about testing yourself in fights you don’t know that you can win, and embodying the fighter's spirit,” Bisping said.
He added, “Look at Logan Paul, he’s almost my size and he’s calling out Paddy Pimblett. They make out they’re so tough. But I wouldn’t begrudge Paddy going out there and making a ton of money fighting Logan Paul. You get these opportunities you take them. We are prizefighters, just like [Francis] Ngannou and [Tyson] Fury.”
