Following the blockbuster merger between Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Jake Paul isn't just planning to play the role of a boardroom executive. "The Problem Child" is officially preparing to step inside the cage, and he already has a couple of high-profile opponents on his radar.
Under the newly formed MVP MMA banner, Paul is eagerly targeting mixed martial arts matchups against his former boxing rivals, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. Speaking recently with TMZ, the 29-year-old fighter confirmed his intentions to finally transition from the squared circle to the octagon.
"Yeah, Nate Diaz. Mike Perry would be great," Paul revealed. "We love Mike Perry. The Nate conversation has been ongoing. It just never made complete sense. I think up until this moment, things just got a lot more serious with this announcement. So, I want the Nate Diaz MMA fight very, very bad."
A cage fight against Diaz would mark a highly anticipated rematch under a completely different rule set. Paul previously defeated the Stockton native via unanimous decision in a boxing match in August 2023. However, an MMA bout would dramatically shift the odds in favor of Diaz, a seasoned combat veteran who has been fighting professionally in mixed martial arts since 2004.
Paul also shares a fiery history with Perry. The two initially crossed paths as sparring partners in early 2021, a session that quickly evolved into a bitter public feud after training footage was leaked online. Similar to his rivalry with Diaz, Paul already holds a boxing victory over Perry from a clash in 2024. Meeting in an MMA setting, however, would offer both veterans a violent chance at redemption in a much more familiar element.