In response to Professional Fighters League CEO Peter Murray, when Jake Paul makes his mixed martial arts debut, he’ll face “top pros.”
“Jake’s goal is to compete with the best athletes in MMA, period,” Murray told The Post on Thursday, hours after the media personality turned boxing star was announced Thursday morning to sign with the PFL. “…Jake will probably be battling the top professional talent.”
Who exactly that will probably be stays unclear at this stage, and Murray says talks with Paul and his team are ongoing. Since the announcement, the fighter has starred in boxing and MMA franchises for former UFC star Nate Diaz, who’s now a free agent.
When Paul first competes in a cage competition, it’ll only be a part of the pay-per-view organization.
The announcement of the signing of Paul, who was open about his desire to enhance fighter pay in MMA, was accompanied by PFL’s stated commitment in a press release to create a “50-50 revenue partnership model for all PPV fights.” Along with what Murray called a “long-term strategic partnership” between Paul and the PFL, Paul will hold the title of “Head of Fighter Advocacy” with the goal of working “for a business model that advantages all top fighters.”
“It’s a real economic partnership, a 50-50 revenue share,” Murray said, highlighting the split with reference to pay-per-view purchases but not detailing the way it impacts other revenue streams similar to box office sales.
Paul joins two-time PFL Women’s Lightweight Champion and two-time Olympic judoka gold medalist Kayla Harrison and multi-discipline boxing champion Claressa Shields – who has a 1-1 record with the PFL since her transition to MMA in 2021 and who Murray has said will return to PFL in 2023 – as a part of a growing list of PFL Athletes exclusive to PPV.
Harrison expressed excitement about Paul joining the roster.
“His wrestling background and funny personality will probably be an incredible fit,” Harrison told PFL in a quote shared with The Post. “I believe what he does for athletes and sports is amazing. And I am unable to wait to see it glide.”
Paul, who has amassed a huge following on content creation platforms like YouTube, has turn into an unlikely crossover star in the boxing world by defeating former MMA champions in the ring. He has boxing wins over former Bellator and ONE Championship champion Ben Askren and former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, whom Paul defeated in October by decision.
When asked about the possibility of a rematch with any of those stars in MMA, Murray said only that “a few of the biggest free agents in the game have an interest” in competing at PFL pay-per-view events and “potentially fighting Jake.”
Paul’s massive social media following offers the PFL one other avenue to expand its reach.
“Along with working with Jake as an MMA fighter, we even have the good thing about Jake’s voice, his massive platform, greater than 60 million followers [across social media platforms] promote PFL,” said Murray. “That is one other driving force behind combining our capabilities.”
Murray noted that details on when the two PPV events will happen in 2023 will probably be announced “in the next few months.” The PFL made its pay-per-view debut at the annual championship in November, which it described as “an overall success from a business standpoint”, but said ESPN Plus didn’t provide details about the event’s buy rate. Murray also didn’t say whether Paul was scheduled to attend each events.
The PFL began using a league format in 2018, with a regular season and playoffs, but has since expanded to incorporate the Challenger Series which returns on January 27 and kicks off PFL Europe in March. The upcoming regular season will begin on April 1.