Why is it that when Jake Paul finally has an opponent who has an edge over him, practically everywhere, and suddenly, everyone is rooting for the underdog? Matt Brown seems to have the answer, and it’s not too flattering.

With the UFC on a six-week break, the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua bout dominates the headlines. This fight marks the first time the YouTuber-turned-boxer will face an opponent who, on paper, is a legitimate boxer and in a competitive age bracket. Yet, names like Demetrious Johnson, Sean O’Malley, and Nate Diaz are backing Jake Paul, predicting he could destroy Joshua’s “weakest” chin. With the bout just days away, former UFC fighter Matt Brown isn’t buying these predictions and recently called out these so-called fight experts.

Ex-UFC star criticizes the “dumb” predictions ahead of Joshua vs. Paul

Matt Brown isn’t hesitant to consider any possibility for Jake Paul at the Kaseya Center on December 19. That said, he rates the Ohioan’s chances as extremely slim, one-in-a-million, similar to how the Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas fight ended unexpectedly.

Even so, the former UFC star believes Jake Paul has very little chance of beating Anthony Joshua. He sees fighters predicting a ‘The Problem Child’ victory as mostly trying to look good in case Paul pulls off a miraculous upset.

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“Now, here’s the thing: when some people make these predictions like, ‘Oh, Jake Paul is going to beat him,’ you know, it almost feels like a cop-out. It’s kind of a win-win situation. If he goes out there and beats him, you called it—you predicted it, you’re the man. If he doesn’t beat him, you’re like, ‘Bro, I didn’t really think that,'” Brown pointed out on the latest episode of The Fighter vs The Writer.

Additionally, he referenced the high-profile 2018 boxing blockbuster between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather as an example. “Look, if you’re wrong about it, nobody remembers. They’re not like, ‘Oh, he’s a f***ing idiot.’ But if you make the prediction, everybody’s gonna remember.”

“And everybody’s like, ‘Oh wow, you must be a fight expert.’ You’re not a fight expert for calling Jake Paul to win. You’re going against everything a fight expert would take into account. He has no chance… either you don’t really think it or you’re dumb. There’s no logical reason to believe it,” he added.

Still, Matt Brown emphasized that anything can happen in the fight, and even Joshua could get “distracted” or an accident could occur. Yet, on paper, the former UFC star doesn’t see Jake Paul coming out on top. Following the same logic, Manny Pacquiao also sided with Joshua, praising his skill.

Anthony Joshua is prepared to crush Jake Paul’s soul in the ring

When promoters announced the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight, the news caught many fans off guard. At first, the matchup looked unusual because of the clear differences in size, body type, and overall experience between the two fighters. Even so, heading into the boxing showdown, Paul remains a significant underdog against the former unified heavyweight champion based on paper credentials.

Ahead of the fight, Joshua and Paul recently sat down for a face-to-face interview. During the conversation, the British star emphasized that the contest extends beyond physicality. Joshua stated that he has already begun breaking the Ohioan down mentally and now plans to complete that process inside the ring on December 19.

“I got to beat him mentally because he’s a mental person,” he began. “This is my observation. A lot of what Jake’s preparation is based around is not only the physical aspect of training, but the way he thinks, meditation, breath work. If I can break his soul and I can break his mentality, then I’ve broken Jake. This is why it’s going to be an interesting fight. It’s not just physical. I got to take your soul in the ring.”

With the heavyweight clash drawing closer, opinions remain sharply divided. What’s your take on the predictions surrounding Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua? Who do you see coming out on top on December 19 in the Netflix bout? Share your prediction below.