Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Welcome to the
Professional Fighters League @jakepaul
pic.twitter.com/pgMDUprK6S— PFL (@PFLMMA)
January 5, 2023
Guess who’s coming to dinner.
Per the Professional Fighters League on Thursday via
press release and social
media, the organization has signed YouTuber-turned-boxer
Jake
Paul (6-0, 4 KOs Box) to compete under its banner in MMA.
Additionally, he has also bought in as a minority equity owner to
the parent company along with fellow promoter and former Ultimate Fighting Championship exec Nakisa
Bidarian. According to the release, Paul will jump-start the
pay-per-view division to stage “PFL PPV Super Fights,” and he is
the first person signed to that section of the PFL.
Advertisement
As the newly appointed Head of Fighter Advocacy, Paul has ordained
that the pay-per-view revenue generated from these events will be
at least an even 50-50 split with the organization and the
competitors. These pay-to-watch fight cards will be separate from
the tournament seasons of the PFL, and as stated in the press
release, two such shows will air in 2023. The 25-year-old, with his
platform, intends on boosting the awareness and popularity of the
other competitors that will compete in this division. Paul has
since called for fan-favorite free agent Nate Diaz to
join him in the PFL ranks, even challenging the ex-UFC talent to
one boxing match and one MMA fight.
Paul gave a statement about his new arrangement with the PFL,
stating, “I’ve proven myself in and out of the boxing ring and now
I am going to do the same in MMA, and there is no limit to the
positive impact I can make on the sport. I plan to enter the PFL
SmartCage and once again show the world that that anything is
possible with hard work and dedication. Outside of the cage, equal
fighter-pay and advocating for female fighters has been my passion,
and I am aligned with PFL to evolve the sport. I believe in PFL,
their mission, and what they have accomplished in a very short
period of time. That is why I chose to partner with PFL
exclusively, both as a fighter and a businessperson. As Head of
Fighter Advocacy, I will consistently promote PFL fighters and I
invite all top MMA fighters, both men and women, to join the PFL
and get a payday like they’ve never had before.”
The goal of this division, according to the
New York Times, is to pull in immediate buyers for the
pay-per-views instead of those that need to first claim a belt in
PFL to earn some notoriety. The tournament-centric league staged
its first PPV on 2022, putting on the
2022 Season PFL Championships titled with six title fights and
a notable bout between former UFC and Bellator MMA mainstays. Reports
claim that the $50 show purchasable on ESPN+ did not exceed
10,000 buys, but the official numbers were never made public.
Of the signing and Paul’s buy-in, PFL founder Donn Davis was
elated, saying, “I founded PFL to innovate, professionalize, and
grow MMA, and we have done that with our disruptive sport-season
format which put ‘fighters-first’ as they control their own
destiny. Today, we begin our next phase of growth by disrupting the
MMA pay-per-view market, with an unprecedented new model where
fighters will be true 50-50 economic partners in PPV revenues. I’m
gratified that Jake and Nakisa chose to join PFL, and I can’t wait
to see what Jake does as a fighter, creator, and promoter in MMA
with PFL.”
The former Disney Channel
actor amassed a perfect professional boxing record of 6-0 thus
far, with wins over three notable former UFC talents. Starting off
by knocking out YouTuber Ali Loui Al-Fakri, also known as
AnEsonGib, he went on to starch former NBA player Nate Robinson.
From there, he threw down with Ben Askren,
Tyron
Woodley twice and Anderson
Silva, knocking out the former two in 2021. Paul intends on
remaining in boxing, but plans on using his high school wrestling
chops to bolster his MMA skills should he indeed compete inside of
a cage. A date of his arrival has not yet been set, and no opponent
has been offered – although former UFC champ Anthony
Pettis suggested
he would be willing to welcome the youngster to the ranks of
MMA if given the chance.