Jake Paul called out to two-fight MMA and boxing deal by Derek Brunson after leaving UFC for PFL
JAKE PAUL has been called out to a two-fight MMA and boxing deal by Derek Brunson.
Paul is set to make his debut in the cage next year after signing with the Professional Fighters League, a rival to the UFC.
And Brunson also left the UFC after over a decade of service to sign with the PFL, which operates in a win-or-go-home seasonal format.
When Paul announced his boxing return for Friday, December 15 Brunson was an early bookies favourite to be the opponent.
Instead, little-known 10-1-1 pro boxer Andre August, 35, was confirmed as the YouTuber-turned boxer’s shock next fight.
But Brunson is leaving the door open to settling the score with Paul now the pair are both under the PFL banner.
He told SunSport: “Jake Paul is now with the PFL, we’ve got a bit of history.
“He asked Dana to fight me a couple years ago, so that’s a possibility. People saw me going over to the PFL and thought the timetable was there and it was perfect.
“Like I say, in the past me and Jake had discussions for a boxing match but I was under contract with the UFC. But things may align now.”
Paul, 26, was beaten for the first time in February, losing a split-decision to Tommy Fury, 24, in Saudi Arabia.
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But he bounced back in August with a ten-round points win over ex-UFC star Nate Diaz, 38.
Paul proposed a double header with the return bout in MMA and offered Diaz over £10million to do so.
And despite the deal being rejected, Brunson, 39, is ready for a similar two-bout deal.
He said: “Yeah, I’d be open to that. I love challenging myself, so definitely I’d be up for that.”
Brunson makes his PFL debut on Friday in Washington, DC against former PFL champion Ray Cooper, 30.
It could set him up to enter the PFL’s season next year, where stars compete in a four-stage knockout format where $1m is up for grabs.
Brunson said: “I wanted something new, something to excite me, something to make me want to train really hard.
“I’d been in the UFC for so long and I felt it was the time to change and the PFL came about and now here we are.
“You’re not going to go out there and just lay down, that’s just silly but just being able to have a fresh start, new fighters, the $1million tournament, I can just start over.
“I can control my own destiny and that was a really big thing for me.”