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Jake Paul accepts Khabib’s MMA offer on one condition

Jake Paul could be set to face former UFC lightweight champion Khabib in his MMA debut  (Getty Images)
Jake Paul could be set to face former UFC lightweight champion Khabib in his MMA debut (Getty Images)

Jake Paul and Khabib Nurmagomedov could meet in the YouTuber’s MMA debut after Paul challenged the former UFC lightweight champion to a fight.

Paul, who has a 5-0 record as a boxer, has been training as an MMA fighter as he eyes a chance to swap combat sports.

Khabib extended an offer of assistance from the Russian and his team to aid Paul’s preparation and promotion.

And the 25-year-old agreed to the partnership, under the condition that the undefeated Khabib is Paul’s first opponent.

“Deal,” Paul said. “[But] only if I fight you first.”

Khabib retired from UFC in 2020 with 29 wins and no defeats.

He has since forayed into fight promotion, purchasing and renaming the Russian-based Eagle Fighting Championship.

Paul, who has beaten two former UFC fighters under boxing rules, has now been working with Khabib’s coaches to prepare for a switch to MMA.

The American has suggested he is unwilling, however, to cut significant amounts of mass to enter a lower weight class.

“When I make my MMA debut, I could cut 20 pounds and do it at welterweight / 170 pounds. That’s what all UFC fighters do and many have destroyed their bodies and minds doing it,” Paul wrote in a Tweet addressed to UFC president Dana White.

“But I’m going do it at middleweight (185). Health first. P.S Conor [McGregor is] walking around at 190Ibs.”