Love him or hate him, Jake Paul moves the needle.
And the PFL definitely moved the needle by adding Paul to the active fight roster.
Not only does the promotion receive Paul as a competitor as he makes the transition from boxing to mixed martial arts, they get him as one of the key figures in the newly-created PFL PPV Super Fight division.
That is where the real money for both the fighters and PFL will come into play.
Here are a few details:
-Fighters are expected to earn at least 50 percent of the pay-per-view revenue from these upcoming and future events
-Bouts will be distributed by both ESPN and DAZN, allowing for more world-wide exposure
-Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, his business partner and former chief financial officer for UFC, reportedly own equity in the PFL
After making a name for himself on social media, Paul shined bright in the boxing ring. He owns wins over former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, along with a victory vs. Ben Askren.
For all of his hoopla, Paul has shown that he is a true and tremendous athlete. How he transitions into MMA should not be much different than his move from YouTuber to boxer.
One can bet Paul is training with some of the best of the best in all areas to improve his skills as a combat fighter. He isn’t planning on rushing this move, either, as PFL chairman Donn Davis noted that 2024 is “where you’ll see him take on his first opponent.”
In 2023 with most fighters locked up at their current promotion, adding someone with the name value and skill value of Paul is easily the biggest move of the year.