UFC legend Michael Bisping is happy to fight Jake Paul in a boxing match, but wants to do it on his terms – which includes giving him a few months to get back in the gym.
After a brief hiatus from strapping on the gloves, Jake Paul will be returning to the boxing ring in August. The 25-year-old, who is currently undefeated, wants an opponent who can match him when it comes to name value and pay-per-view buys.
As such, he’s laid out a ‘hit list’ of opponents who would fit the bill for his return fight, and that includes Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, and even UFC icon Michael Bisping.
The Count, who last fought in the Octagon back in 2017, has been open to Jake’s advances in the past, and the pair have traded plenty of trash talk. However, if he’s going to switch to boxing, he’d need to do it on his terms.
Jake has confirmed that he’ll be back in the ring in August.
Bisping sniped back at Jake’s ‘hit list’ on Twitter, but dove further into things in an April 16 video, where he once again registered his interest in fighting the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
“Do I want to fight Jake Paul? Listen, I had a great career, I’m very happy with what I accomplished. I’m happily retired. I’m very, very happily retired, but I do miss the thrill of competition. And I don’t see Jake Paul as necessarily a threat,” Bisping, noting that his long-standing eye injury is still a hurdle to overcome for him to return.
“Jake Paul, beating you up sounds like fun. Of course, you are a big star. And God bless, well done to you. I’m not hating. You’ve done great things, you’re earning a lot of money, you’re a big star, you’re getting a lot of pay-per-views. And so for that reason, I probably would. I probably would.” The UFC legend added that he’s had offers from Jake before, but a fight didn’t materialize between the pair.
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The Brit added that he would “oblige” Jake’s fight offer, but he’d need time to lose a bit of weight first. “It sounds like fun. It gives me a reason to train, to get in shape. Give me a few months to lose a couple of pounds, and let’s go, baby. No problem,” he concluded.
As noted, Bisping has been open to fight Jake before, but would need a commission that is willing to sign off on him fighting with his injury history. So, who knows if he’ll be Jake’s opponent in August.