Jake Paul and Oleksandr Usyk, two of the biggest names, could sell out an entire arena in a boxing fight. But that intrigue goes through the roof when both are in talks for an MMA crossover event. Though it sounds unbelievable, ‘El Gallo’ finally shared an update regarding a cage fight with the ‘Cat,’ and even admitted what would happen if they finally collide under a completely unfamiliar setting.

“No date currently, but it’s definitely in both of our cards,” Paul told Complex News. “He really wants to do it. His team wants to do it. I really want to do it. My team wants to do it. So, we’ll see what happens in the next 24 months. But I think it would be highly entertaining.”

For those who don’t know, it was Jake Paul who issued a challenge to Oleksandr Usyk after the Ukrainian beat Daniel Dubois in a rematch at Wembley Stadium last year. Following that callout, the boxing heavyweight champion didn’t wait long to respond, accepting the MMA challenge. But Usyk’s acceptance came with a condition, as he spoke about fighting Paul only after closing the chapter on boxing.

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“Good plan, Jake Paul, but I’m not here for 5th place – only first,” Usyk wrote on X. “Soon, I’ll close the book on boxing, and after that, I’ll be waiting for you in the cage. Let’s see if you’ve got the b—s or just a hunger for hype.”

Well, both have definitely shown interest in fighting each other in an MMA cage. But what about their teams? Addressing the matchup, Usyk’s team director Sergey Lapin told Bloody Elbow in an interview that there’s a possibility the fight will happen in the future. A similar statement came from Nakisa Bidarian, who believes Paul is “crazy enough” to take the matchup. However, if ‘El Gallo’ actually faces Usyk, he admitted the fight might not go his way.

“He would probably murder me pretty early,” Paul said in the same interview. “I think he would just pick me up, I don’t even know. That guy is built different. I think he’s the GOAT of this boxing generation. And fighting him in MMA, my only chance would be trying to get a takedown and submitting him, because I’m not going to try to sit there and exchange with the guy or get kicked by him. But I’m down for the challenge.”

Now, many believe that the potential Jake Paul vs Oleksandr Usyk fight would take place in the PFL when the YouTuber-turned-boxer was still signed with the promotion. However, ‘El Gallo’s contract ended with PFL without him competing in a single fight. Still, with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) stepping into the MMA space with their first card on May 16th, there’s a chance he could face Usyk under his own banner.

If the Usyk fight doesn’t materialize, the 28-year-old has a backup plan for his MMA debut that fans might find even more fascinating.

Jake Paul is still fixated on fighting Nate Diaz in MMA

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz collided in a professional boxing match back in 2023, where ‘The Problem Child’ defeated the former UFC fighter via unanimous decision. Following that fight, Paul started plotting an MMA clash with Diaz. In the same year, the YouTuber-turned-boxer implied in an interview with Ariel Helwani that there were positive talks from both camps. But later, Paul admitted that negotiations didn’t go as planned.

Three years after that statement, Diaz is now set to fight Mike Perry at Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions MMA card, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano on May 16. Paul admits that with the UFC veteran now involved with the promotion, there’s a chance he could finally face him under his own banner. But unlike the Usyk fight, ‘El Gallo’ is very confident he would beat Diaz under unified MMA rules.

“This guy was easy work,” Paul said on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Vonn. “Lightest puncher I’ve ever fought. Nate Diaz is the lightest and worst puncher I’ve ever fought. He’s the toughest, and he took the most damage, but in a sport, that’s not something to brag about. I want Nate in MMA. It’s high on my list of priorities to do that.”

Diaz last defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in an MMA bout and has years of experience behind him. That makes a potential debut fight for Paul against Diaz even more intriguing, raising the question of whether he can actually hang with Diaz inside a cage.

While the Usyk super-fight remains a tantalizing possibility, Paul’s promotional ties to Diaz suggest the more realistic path to his MMA debut runs through his old boxing rival.