Sean Strickland would love the chance to face Jake Paul within the boxing ring, nevertheless it appears extremely unlikely that can ever occur — not less than not whereas he’s below UFC contract.
The previous middleweight champion acquired right into a disagreement with Paul just lately following a sparring match the place he battered a social influencer named Sneako, which caught the eye of the 8-1 boxer. Paul made a $1 million supply to fly Strickland right down to his coaching camp in Puerto Rico for a combat, however that concept was shot down slightly shortly.
Strickland claimed he requested the UFC for permission to simply accept the problem however that UFC chief enterprise officer Hunter Campbell shot him down, and added that Paul “sells no fights.”
UFC legend Randy Couture, who has typically butted heads along with his former employer, needs that the promotion would not less than entertain the concept concerning the matchup, however he is aware of even with potential monetary achieve on the road, it’s extremely unlikely they’d log out on the deal.
“In all probability not,” Couture instructed MMA Preventing concerning the UFC permitting Strickland to combat Paul. “It relies upon. If Sean Strickland took the tactic like Conor McGregor did and introduced them in to learn and make cash off this endeavor, perhaps there’s a negotiation available. I believe your evaluation might be correct, they’re most likely by no means going to let that occur.”
The UFC served as a promoter alongside McGregor again in 2017 when he fought Floyd Mayweather in one of many greatest boxing pay-per-views of all-time. It’s uncertain that Strickland and Paul might pull anyplace close to these kinds of numbers, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a combat individuals would pay to see.
So far as the matchup goes, Couture cautions Strickland that regardless of his huge general expertise benefit in fight sports activities, Paul has confirmed to be a succesful boxer by the primary 9 fights of his profession.
Now if Strickland was allowed to endure a full coaching camp the place he solely targeted on boxing slightly than MMA, Couture expects that may positively even up the rating.
“I believe Jake has proven he has expertise, that he can again up the rhetoric and the discuss,” Couture mentioned. “Clearly, he’s overwhelmed some very, excellent guys. I believe Sean Strickland has a really robust putting background. He brings that to each single MMA match. We noticed what he did towards [Israel] Adesanya and the best way he solved the issue there. Give him time to have an excellent, full camp in boxing, and I believe he would do very, very properly towards Jake Paul.
“It might be a really attention-grabbing matchup. Jake’s perhaps a little bit greater, perhaps a little bit stronger, however I believe they’re very related in measurement. Whereas Nate Diaz, in my view, wasn’t large enough. He didn’t have the ass, frankly, to convey the facility to match Jake Paul within the matchup. I sort of thought Anderson Silva would do higher towards Jake Paul as a result of he’s acquired a really robust putting background as properly.”
Couture commends Paul for backing up the whole lot he says within the ring, which has led to him changing into one of the vital talked about names in fight sports activities, whether or not anyone likes it or not.
That being mentioned, Couture would like to see Strickland get the possibility to land that combat — and earn a hefty seven-figure payday within the course of.
“You may’t take away something from Jake Paul and what he’s doing within the ring,” Couture mentioned. “Strickland has earned his proper to be right here. I believe it could be an attention-grabbing matchup and a number of eyeballs would tune into watching these two get after it.”
Couture additionally addressed the sparring session between Strickland and the social influencer, which came about in the identical health club that bears Couture’s identify in Las Vegas.
Paul blasted Strickland for beating up an inexperienced opponent, but additionally took a shot on the former UFC champion for hammering away with punches however not really incomes a knockdown through the session.
For his half, Couture defended Strickland’s resolution to interact within the sparring match and he noticed nothing fallacious with the best way the whole lot unfolded.
“This child that [Strickland] beat up, I don’t even know who this child was however he talks a number of smack and that’s one thing Jake is aware of,” Couture mentioned. “I assumed that was a justified beating within the boxing ring. He wasn’t teeing off on him, and Jake’s criticism was, ‘You couldn’t even knock down a man that isn’t a fighter.’ I don’t suppose Strickland was making an attempt to knock him down.
“If he wished to knock him out or knock him down, I believe he would have. I believe he was instructing him a lesson and dragging it out so long as he wanted to, to get the purpose throughout. That’s how I noticed that entire factor.”
