26-year-old Jake Paul recently answered a few questions on his Instagram story after the undefeated boxer did an ‘ask me anything’ session on the social media app. Fans quizzed the influencer on various topics of his life, but the most common questions were regarding his combat career. In one such question, a fan enquired if he would be foraying into MMA after his upcoming boxing bout against Tommy Fury. Paul’s response to this left fans quite dumbfounded, not because he confirmed an MMA bout, but because of the factual inaccuracy of his answer.

Paul will finally face Tommy Fury on 26th February after the bout failed to take place multiple times. The fight is taking place at Diriyah Arena, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. However, Paul aims to enter the MMA cage too, and recently signed up with PFL.

Jake Paul claims no boxer has successfully crossed into MMA

To a question by a fan asking about a possible MMA fight after his next boxing bout, Paul positively confirmed, albeit without a date, that he would eventually fight with the smaller gloves at one point. Further, he also made the claim that no boxer has ever transitioned into MMA before. The younger Paul brother might have been misinformed because MMA has seen multiple boxers step inside the cage.

Paul wrote in his Instagram story, “At some point for sure. MMA fighters have gone into boxing but no boxer has ever crossed into MMA.”

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History has seen boxers like James Toney, Holly Holm, etc. transition to MMA. In fact, PFL’s Claressa Shields has also made her presence known in both sports.

 Boxers who transitioned to mixed martial arts

While Paul was wide of the mark in his claim, there are big names that fought inside the ring before turning to the cage.

• Heather Hardy: The 41-year-old New York native is also another popular name among MMA fans. An established boxer with a record of 25 wins and 2 losses, Hardy made her MMA debut back in 2017 at Bellator 180. Following that, she went on to fight three more MMA bouts. Her MMA record stands at 2 wins and 2 losses.

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• James Toney: “Lights Out” was considered one of the best boxers of his generation, and rightfully so. After winning major titles at three separate weight classes, Toney had cemented himself as an all-time great of the sport. Unfortunately, his foray into MMA didn’t end well as he lost to Randy Couture, another MMA legend, at UFC 118. This fight clearly displayed the difference between the two sports, as Toney was easily submitted in the first round.
• Holly Holm: For MMA fans, Holm undoubtedly is the first name to come to mind when talking about boxing and MMA. The former UFC champ has one of the most decorated profiles in combat sports and is the only fighter to have a boxing and a UFC title. Not just that, Holm is also an established kickboxer. The 41-year-old was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.

• Ricardo Mayorga: Mayorga’s move into MMA was one of the lesser-known transitions among the others. The controversial boxer lived up to his reputation as his first fight was deemed to be a no-contest after an illegal strike. He went on to fight three more times but unfortunately lost all of them.
• Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch: Butterbean is probably one of the most recognizable figures in combat sports owing to his large frame. The 400-pound boxer made his MMA foray in 2003 against a much smaller lightweight. Butterbean eventually ended up getting submitted by a heel hook in the second round.

These five fighters are just a few among other boxers who transitioned into MMA. While some did find huge success like Holm, others realized the huge disparity in skills and went back to boxing.

Will Jake Paul find success in his promised MMA career? Although one can’t be sure of that, his signing with PFL is surely a sign that the 26-year-old might make an MMA debut pretty soon.

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