With a possible fight between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor in the cards, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach has weighed in on who he thinks would win in combat.
YouTuber Jake Paul has made a big name for himself in the fight world in recent years. With a 5-0 record that includes KOs against former UFC stars Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, The Problem Child has shown that he means business.
When he’s not knocking out former MMA champs, he’s been actively pursuing fights and has frequently been pushing to secure a match against ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, constantly calling out The Irishman.
Now, as a possible fight between the influencer and UFC star grows more likely, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, chimed in on why he thinks Paul would have the upper hand.
Khabib’s coach warns McGregor not to underestimate Jake Paul
In an interview with Betway, Mendez was asked about a fight between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor and who he thinks would win.
“I would favor Jake Paul at 175 over Conor in a boxing ring because he’s too big. But you can’t count Conor out, Conor’s a good boxer, so you can’t discount his boxing ability,” he said.
When Paul made his latest offer to UFC President Dana White for a fight against McGregor, he made it clear that he would do so at 175 pounds, dismissing any weight concerns White had.
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Khabib’s coach says Paul would beat McGregor due to his size
Mendez went on to explain that Jake’s size would give him a big edge, regardless of McGregor’s years of experience.
“The size is a little much, Jake hits extremely hard, as you can tell by what he’s done. If you haven’t woken up to Jake’s ability you better, because he’s only improving. So I think the size is a big difference and the power would be too much for Conor,” he added.
“Sometimes you can be bigger and not punch harder, but in this case Jake is bigger than Conor and punches harder and he’s good, so all three variables are with Jake. He’s just a bigger man fighting a smaller man.”
Furthermore, he remarked how Paul has had “high pressure” fights of his own, so it would ultimately come down to size where the YouTuber has a big advantage.
Despite having no shortage of possible opponents, it’s still not clear who Jake Paul will face when he returns to the ring. The Problem Child has said he’s aiming at fighting again come Summer of 2022.
If a fight between Paul and McGregor gets approved, the Irishman may need to stay out of trouble for it to even happen. On March 23, he was arrested for dangerous driving – just one day after another of Paul’s potential adversaries, Jorge Masvidal, was charged with felony battery for attacking Colby Covington outside a restaurant in Miami.