“He portrays himself as a fighter, but in reality, he’s a businessman and not a fighter by any stretch” These thoughts are asserted by former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping addressing Jake Paul and all influencer fighters in general. Since taking the contrarian stance, his opinion about them hasn’t changed much.

‘The Count’ has emerged as a principal critique of YouTube influencers who are not contributing much to combat sports. You will often see him slandering Jake Paul for choosing older and less skilled opponents instead of actual fighters who can give him a tough challenge.

Despite facing some backlash from Paul fans, Bisping remains dedicated to his mission for highlighting the actual athletes. He believes the popular internet personalities are eclipsing them, and they are also responsible for presenting a “watered-down” action to the viewers.

Ex-UFC champ at UFC London Q&A session, said, “I mean, it’s certainly a good thing, because it brings more eyeballs and more attention to combat sports in general. But, I also think people are in general getting mislead, because they’re watching a watered down product. I mean these guys, they are not very good fighters let’s be honest.”

“They can’t box, they’re watching a very watered-down product. And, if any young people are kind of getting inspired to do that and follow these YouTubers, they don’t understand that you gotta be very very serious about this game, it’s a very dangerous game, obviously injuries are a part of it, and you’re not messing around in there. The idea is to finish your opponent, to knock them out or render them unconscious. And, I think sometimes these YouTubers don’t give the respect that this game deserves.”

Michel Bisping had not only took a shot at Jake Paul and other influencers, but he also tried to convey this message to the audience who regularly spend their well earned money to watch them fight. Famously, the Englishman dismissed the whole event ‘KSI vs Tommy Fury event by stating that it was a “robbery” and appealed for a 20 quid refund for the viewers.

Despite the criticism, Bisping accepts the fact that influencer boxing brings a lot of eyeballs and revenue to the sport. For instance, ‘Logan Paul vs KSI 2’ fight generated an impressive $2 million PPV buys, while Jake Paul’s debut match against Ben Askren reportedly garnered over 500,000 PPV sales, indicating that there is a market for this brand of combat sport to achieve more popularity.

Since the Mike Tyson boxing match, Jake Paul has yet to step inside the ring. But, you might be surprised to know that ‘The Problem Child’  might make his MMA debut this year.

PFL chairman teases Jake Paul’s PFL MMA debut this fall

Jake Paul signed his multi-year deal with PFL on January 05, 2023. After the announcement, people enthusiastically wanted to see him perform inside the Octagon, but unfortunately for them, Paul didn’t fight in a single event.

After the influencer turned boxer and defeated Nate Diaz in a boxing match, both parties expressed interest in a rematch inside the cage. But, the possibilities withered after Nate Diaz dissed his opponent’s promotion.

Now, the fans desire to see their favorite boxer inside the cage might get fulfilled because the chairman Donn Davis himself provided a crucial update on ‘The Problem Child’s MMA debut.

Davis in a Q and a session with MMA Fighting revealed – “Two things are happening, Jake is super successful, in boxing, whether you love Jake or hate Jake, we can all agree, that guy is the man! When it comes to generating attention revenue, and viewership with his boxing career. And, it’s more successful than it was when we signed him, on the boxing side has delayed MMA. Cause he’s killing it on the boxing side. So, will MMA happen with PFL? Yes it will! It has been delayed, it has. My guess is, fall of this year, and I don’t think it’s gonna be before that.” 

We all know that Jake Paul’s MMA debut can be little unpredictable, but we don’t have many option to wait until when the actual time comes.

Do you think Michael Bisping’s comment about YouTube boxers are right? Please drop your comments below.