Former UFC champ responds to potential Jake Paul fight

Dec 18, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Jake Paul celebrates after defeating Tyron Woodley at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Fight fans can strike out Francis Ngannou from the list of Jake Paul’s next potential opponents.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, the former UFC heavyweight champion was incredulous when the idea of a Paul-Ngannou fight was brought up.

“No, no, no, no,” said Ngannou. “Come on. Don’t be silly. … maybe if we put the two Paul brothers in the cage, lock the cage, maybe there is something to do there. Come on, respect me a little bit.”

Francis Ngannou said he’d fight Jake Paul only if Logan Paul is locked in the cage too 🥶pic.twitter.com/Hz647iljel

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) November 19, 2024

Both Paul and Ngannou made their boxing debuts within the last few years, but there’s a huge difference in how they did it.

Paul’s first fight came against a fellow YouTuber. He then challenged aging athletes such as Nate Robinson, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz, none of whom were actually boxers. The only time Paul fought a real boxer around his age, Tommy Fury, was also when Paul lost for the first and only time.

Compare that to Ngannou, whose two professional boxing matches came against multi-time heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. While Ngannou lost both fights, he more than held his own against two of the best current heavyweights in the world. Ngannou even knocked Fury down and had some believing that he should have won the fight.

It’s not surprising that Ngannou would feel a bit insulted to even think about fighting Jake Paul in the ring.