Valentina Shevchenko dares Jake Paul to make the move from boxing to MMA and doubts it would go well for him.
Paul recently told the This Past Weekend podcast that he believes the UFC is “dying” under the leadership of CEO Dana White, and also criticized retired legend Khabib Nurmagomedov and current middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev as emblematic of “boring” fighting styles that have taken over the business.
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None of that sat well with Shevchenko, who responded to Paul’s comments on Twitter.
“UFC dying?!” Shevchenko wrote. “Hey Jake, you definitely don’t know what you are talking about. Criticizing MMA from a long distance.
“Try to get into an octagon with one of them, they’ll wipe the floor with your pretty face. You will show spectacular, breathtaking fight from down there. Then you can tell us how fun or boring it was.”
Paul has had a longstanding feud with White, which emerged as Paul became a prominent entity in the combat sports world when he decided to shift his focus from generating YouTube and social media content to competing as a professional boxer. The 29-year-old is 12-2 as a pro, having recently suffered his second loss when he was knocked out by two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
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On May 16, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions makes its first foray into MMA with an event in Los Angeles headlined by the returning Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Paul has previously teased the idea of competing in MMA, even signing a contract with PFL in 2023, but Paul did not end up fighting for the league and his involvement was strictly on the promotional side.
Shevchenko, currently in her second reign as UFC flyweight champion, is making a habit of holding men accountable for their controversial opinions. Recently, she criticized Nurmagomedov for stating his belief that women are “weak” and not suited for fighting.