2 well-known MMA fighters responded positively to Jake Paul's challenge to meet him in the boxing ring
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Two well-known MMA fighters, Ben Askren and Dillon Danis, responded positively to Jake Paul's challenge to meet him in the boxing ring.
The YouTuber and novice boxer advanced his pro record to two wins (two knockouts) with a brutal second-round finish against Nate Robinson on the card of Saturday's Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. show in Los Angeles.
So severe was the pounding that it left the three-time slam-dunk champion facedown, motionless on the canvas, and open to mockery from the NBA world.
Before his fight with Robinson, Paul vowed to Insider that he'd violently beat Robinson and then lure MMA fighters into pro-boxing bouts. He mentioned Askren and Conor McGregor, and Askren has already responded.
"Who wouldn't want to get paid to beat up a no talent YouTube star who nobody likes," Askren, the former Bellator champion, One champion, and UFC competitor, said on Twitter.
Askren is not the only MMA fighter to speak out on social media — Danis, one of McGregor's friends and training partners, also trash-talked Paul.
Danis is a 2-0 MMA fighter, with both of those wins coming by submission in Bellator MMA. A black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu, Danis beat Kyle Walker in his debut with a toehold in 2018, then submitted Max Humphrey with an armbar in 2019.
At a press conference, Paul said that he was aware that any fight with McGregor would not "realistically happen for a couple of fights" and that he was targeting Danis first.
"I want to knock out everyone in his camp," Paul said. "Dillon Danis is in his corner. He's the guy who got punched by Khabib. That's what he's known for."
"You just fought a retired nba reject," Danis tweeted on Saturday. "Be careful what you wish for little guy."
He also tweeted a photo of Paul in a tiger costume with a Spider-Man crotch in front of a "Spy Kids" poster alongside the caption "dance for me b----."
—Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) November 29, 2020
Danis has not competed in 2020, fighting more on social media than in the Bellator cage.
In Dublin for a Bellator MMA show in 2019, Insider visited the Straight Blast Gym, run by head coach John Kavanagh, who trains McGregor, Danis, and James Gallagher, among other prized pupils.
Even back then there was a back-and-forth between Danis and Paul. Kavanagh told us that a bout would generate a lot of money but would be a straightforward win for Danis.
"It's not really for me," Kavanagh told us. "I'd just leave them at it.
"Dillon Danis is so far ahead of Jake Paul. Some people might read this and go, 'Oh well, Conor fought [Floyd] Mayweather, and that was a joke.' But it wasn't. It was two very amazing combat-sports athletes.
"Dillon Danis is a professional fighter, an excellent fighter. Jake Paul is a personality. It would be a very embarrassing fight for him, what Dillon could do to him."
While Danis and Kavanagh have previously responded to Paul's antics, Kavanagh's marquee fighter has remained silent.
Though Paul repeatedly called out McGregor last week and then again after he'd separated Robinson from his senses, the former two-weight UFC striker's social-media channels have paid Paul no attention.
McGregor seems focused on his return to the Octagon. He's set to fight Dustin Poirier in a lightweight match on January 23, a bout that's likely to headline the UFC's return to "Fight Island," on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Sitting shirtless in what looked like his after-party following his win over Robinson, Paul sent a message to KSI, a fellow YouTuber, apparently having moved on from Askren, Danis, and McGregor.
"Let's get the fight happening," Paul said in a video on his YouTube channel that has been watched 1 million times.
KSI has twice fought Paul's brother, Logan. The first was a draw in an unlicensed bout in 2018 — a catalyst for the explosion in YouTube boxing — and the second was a split-decision win in a professional setting.
"You're scared, bro, I know you are," Paul said in the message to KSI.
"I just became the biggest prizefighter overnight. A side. Feels good to be on the A side. But look, we can get you a decent amount of money. We'll talk to your manager, you know. Obviously I'm getting more.
"But it's going to happen, so just sign the contract, bro ... I'm about to f--- you up."
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