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Is Jake Paul a Bad Matchup For Conor McGregor?

Published 11/29/2020, 10:17 AM EST

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Jake Paul set the boxing world alight with his performance on the undercard of Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. He knocked out former NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion Nate Robinson in brutal fashion. Robinson plummeted face-first in a moment, which went viral and has spawned countless memes.

While Robinson is getting mocked, many are also seriously looking at the credentials of Jake Paul. While he is yet to fight a real boxer, his few pro bouts have been more than decent. Now that Paul is looking ahead to a blockbuster matchup with Conor McGregor, the question has to be asked. Is Jake Paul somehow a bad matchup for Conor?

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Paul has a few inches on Conor, but McGregor is literally a world-class MMA fighter. His one boxing fight was against Floyd Mayweather, which shows the difference in ability already. However, is there a sneaky way that Paul actually may have the advantage over McGregor?

Jake Paul vs Conor McGregor: Is this realistic?

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It is almost impossible to actually feasibly make this argument. It is different if you hypothesize him against Ben Askren, who was primarily a wrestler. But Conor made his bread and butter by being an electric striker. Even Mayweather felt the brunt of McGregor’s early wind in that fight. However, a gassed Conor was what helped Floyd win it later.

USA Today via Reuters

Paul does have a size and reach advantage, and you could argue he has a power advantage as well. However, Conor is a superior striker in any combat sport. Conor has sneaky power in his punches, as he knows exactly where to hit. As he has gotten bigger, his power has carried over. We saw this as recently as his last fight against ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at welterweight.

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Paul showed great technique for someone with no real professional boxing experience. He could actually have a solid boxing career if he devoted himself to it. He seems to have the ability for it. However, Conor is a lifelong practitioner of martial arts and would have almost an unfair advantage over a YouTuber that has fought a couple of pro fights.

If you actually wondered whether Paul has an advantage over McGregor, the answer is no. There is no way a YouTuber can outbox a world champion fighter that trained to fight Floyd Mayweather.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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