Jake Paul has been making waves in the boxing world, but his rise hasn’t come without controversy. Following his highly publicized bout against Mike Tyson last November—streamed exclusively on Netflix—Tyson’s close friend and former NFL star Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones publicly claimed the fight was rigged. Similar accusations surfaced again after Paul secured a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June.

Veteran journalist Piers Morgan also cast doubt on the legitimacy of Paul’s win during his show. While Paul and his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, have repeatedly pushed back against such allegations, they appear to have reached their limit. After recently threatening Morgan with legal action, Paul has reportedly retained high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, best known for representing the likes of Elon Musk, to take on the mounting criticism.

Amid all this, former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has weighed in, shedding light on why Jake Paul hired high-profile attorney Spiro—reportedly charging $3,000 an hour—to take on his critics. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen revealed, “I give each and every one of you a full pass. I have a direct line to Jake, I am somebody Jake will listen to, I can get you a pass. Truly.” He added that the only reason he’s willing to defend some critics is because, in his words, “I don’t believe that you know what it is you’re saying.”

Sonnen believes many of the accusations of fight-fixing stem from people chasing headlines and clicks rather than genuine concern. He emphasized that Paul’s decision to bolster his legal team stems from the serious nature of the allegations. “You’re accusing him of a crime. I don’t think that you’re aware of that,” Sonnen said, highlighting the legal gravity of rigging a sporting event. “It is beyond illegal to rig something that has gaming. Beyond illegal. I don’t think you realize the severity—not just from an ethical and moral standpoint, which would take away from everything, every piece of hard work that you’ve ever done.”

Interestingly, Spiro—renowned for fiercely defending his clients’ reputations—has previously represented high-profile figures like Jay-Z, Alec Baldwin, and Naomi Osaka. Jake Paul’s decision to bring Spiro on board signals a serious shift in how he’s approaching his boxing career. It suggests that Paul is now more committed than ever to safeguarding his brand and credibility within the sport. With Spiro’s extensive experience in high-stakes cases and his keen understanding of public perception, Paul appears determined to silence his critics through legal means rather than just in the ring.

“I’ve been retained by Mr. Paul to pursue legal redress for the damages he has suffered,” Spiro said in a statement, per the Daily Mail. “If someone uses their public soapbox to harm him and the sport with lies, there will be consequences.” Regardless, while Paul’s legal move may have caught many off guard, his business partner had already addressed the growing wave of baseless allegations weeks earlier, hinting that action might be taken.

Rigging allegations against Jake Paul are defamatory, says Bidarian

On July 8th, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian appeared in an interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, where he directly addressed the rigging allegations surrounding Jake Paul. “When you definitively state that Jake is putting on staged or rigged fights, that’s just defamation,” he told Helwani. “And you’re causing substantial damage to his business, to MVP’s business, and something that’s 100 per cent not true.”

Bidarian further claimed that these accusations have negatively impacted Paul’s partnerships with DAZN, Netflix, and Celsius, forcing them into uncomfortable and unwarranted conversations with their corporate partners. “Our legal representation is looking at multiple individuals to go after,” Bidarian had told Helwani at the time.

Turns out Jake Paul wasn’t bluffing about going after his critics for making baseless accusations. Now, media personalities will have to either refrain from talking about the subject or face Paul’s legal team on the courtroom floor. And from Spiro’s resume, he may land a knockout blow. What do you make of Paul’s move?