Jake Paul says Conor McGregor bout became ‘More Realistic’ after knockout of Ben Askren

YouTuber Jake Paul recently took his professional boxing record to 3-0 as he bested former UFC star Ben Askren at the Mercedes Benz Stadium on Saturday night. The 24-year-old kicked off his boxing career last year and looked good against low-level opposition. He defeated fellow YouTuber AnEson Gib on his debut, but the most memorable moment of his short career came when he spectacularly knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr event in November 2020.

Ben Askren vs Jake Paul

However, on April 17, the influencer delivered yet another impressive performance as he stopped Ben Askren in the first round. The former MMA champion couldn’t even last for two minutes against Paul, who grounded him with a left jab, followed by an overhand right to the temple. Despite a heavy fall, Askren managed to get back to his feet in under eight seconds, but after examining Funky, the referee called the fight off, claiming that the fighter was in no condition to continue.

Jake Paul on Ben Askren KO

After the clash, many people took to social media, claiming that the bout was stopped early, as they believed Askren was on his feet and ready to go. However, while addressing the same at the post-fight press conference, Paul revealed that Askren got lucky with the stoppage because he was ready to knock Funky out cold if the fight had resumed. Afterwards, the YouTuber directed his attention towards securing his fourth opponent, with his top target being former UFC double champion Conor McGregor.

Jake Paul next fight: Paul on possible Conor McGregor bout

Jake Paul has been calling out Conor McGregor for almost a year now, with McGregor showing zero interest in the fight. However, with the win over Ben Askren, Paul believes that he has proven himself, getting one step closer to the McGregor clash. McGregor is no stranger to the boxing ring as he fought undefeated boxer, Floyd Mayweather, in 2017 – a bout that generated 4.3 million PPV buys with $600 million in total revenue. However, The Problem Child is sure that his bout with the Notorious One will eclipse those numbers.

“Honestly, we will see like the McGregor fight just became more realistic. Like I have been saying, I just wanna do big fights. I am gonna take some time off,” he told MMA Fighting.

UFC News: Conor McGregor next fight

While Paul is busy celebrating his win, Conor McGregor is preparing for his third clash with Dustin Poirier, which is set to take place on July 10 at UFC 264. Both the fighters are currently tied 1-1 on papers, with Conor winning the first at UFC 178 and Poirier getting his hands raised in the second at UFC 257, making UFC 264 extra-important for MMA fans.

Image Source: Jake Paul, Conor McGregor/ Instagram