Jake Paul in conversation with UFC Hall of Famer ahead of MMA debut training

Teasing an MMA jump for several months now, Jake Paul’s MMA dreams can finally come true after the recent MVP-PFL merger. Recently, hours after the merger announcement, Paul appeared for an interview with SportsCenter, where he opened up about his MMA plans.

“I’ve been trying to make it happen for a long time, and it’s really just come down to negotiations behind the scenes,” Paul said. “I’m gonna go come back, hopefully later this year, into boxing and then looking to do MMA in 2027. So there’s still a long list of opponents out there that I wanna fight, massive names. I’m only developing my skill. I’m 29 years old,” Paul said.

Later, PFL CEO John Martin told The New York Post that he was willing to host Paul in an MMA fight, despite his lack of training in the sport. However, Paul is now adamant about beginning his MMA career and is in conversations about training with UFC legend Royce Gracie.

In an exclusive interview with The New York Post, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian opened up on Paul’s MMA training plans. “When [Paul] makes that decision [to fight in MMA], he is going to go all in on training. We were talking to Royce Gracie last night about him and his family becoming a part of his jiu-jitsu training. So make no mistake, when Jake Paul decides to do something, he is fully committed, and he will be very professional in how he approaches it.”

Paul is currently sidelined and underwent multiple surgeries after injuring his jaw following his fight with Anthony Joshua last year in Dec. 2025. With no confirmed updates on his return, Paul is also hoping to explore a career in the NFL.

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