‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor criticized Jake Paul for signing with the Professional Fighters League in a now-deleted tweet.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the YouTuber turned professional boxer has agreed to trade in his 16oz gloves for 4oz ones. ‘The Problem Child’ officially inked a deal with the PFL, making the jump from the squared circle to the Smart Cage in 2023. No other details were provided at the time of the announcement, but the news sent shockwaves through the MMA community and everyone seemingly has an opinion to share, including the UFC’s outspoken Irish superstar.
Shortly following the announcement, McGregor criticized Jake Paul’s decision to sign with the PFL, tweeting:
“Numbnuts gave away 50% of a future purse if he does an MMA bout? Wow. What an idiot,” McGregor said in a since-deleted tweet. “Joint partnership what? For what you Wally. Wally.”
🚨Conor McGregor reacts to Jake Paul joining MMA in deleted tweet🚨 pic.twitter.com/36UxEvoCDj
— Brendan Mosley (@BoxingBoosted) January 6, 2023
Jake Paul Can Make Maximum Money With Minimal Effort
Jake Paul’s previous boxing endeavors were promoted by his own company, Most Valuable Promotions, allowing him to determine where the money generated from his events ultimately goes. In that respect, McGregor certainly has a point, but Paul’s hand was certainly not the only one in the cookie jar. ‘The Problem Child’ has also worked with other organizations including Triller and Showtime who have undoubtedly taken their fair share.
Paul is expected to compete under the promotion’s ‘Super Fight Division’ which guarantees its fighters 50% of the total pay-per-view revenue.
The fact is, none of us outside of Jake Paul and certain individuals within the PFL know the specifics of the deal the two parties struck. With Paul’s pay-per-view drawing power diminishing in his last few boxing bouts, this could be a way to guarantee himself a fat stack of cash with minimal effort. Instead of running day-to-day operations to promote his own fight, Paul only has to show up on fight night for the PFL and collect a paycheck when it’s all said and done.
The deal also does appear to give ‘The Problem Child’ some freedom as he has already issued a challenge to current free agent Nate Diaz, offering to face him inside the boxing ring and then inside the PFL Smart Cage six months later.
