Jake Paul is a man with options.
Unlike all those UFC fighters locked down by impenetrable contracts, “The Problem Child” is a free man. Alongside former UFC executive Nakisa Bidarian, Paul is the co-founder of Most Valuable Fights (MVP), meaning he’s promoting his own fights and has the agency to seek out whatever opponents interest him.
Currently, however, Paul is unscheduled. He’s been on the sidelines the entirety of 2026, which is precisely what happens when a massive Heavyweight boxer breaks your jaw. Despite — or because of? — the layoff, Paul has his eyes on a whole host of opponents for his potential comeback and beyond. Recently, Paul went on social media to name a long list of foes in the right and the cage alike.
“Before I rest …” Paul began on X before writing out his hit list.
“Canelo Alvarez
Francis Ngannou
Conor McGregor (Boxing & MMA)
Sean Strickland
Darren Till
Ryan Garcia
KSI
Chris Eubank
Edgar Berlanga
Tom Aspinall (Boxing)
Deontay Wilder
Nate Diaz (MMA)
Midget who ruined our fight
World Title
“Make it happen @nakisabidarian.”
It’s an ambitious hit list to say the least! These names are varying levels of possible and likely. Darren Till, for example, is something of a free agent, able to hop around promotions and take on all comers. Tom Aspinall, conversely, is stuck in his UFC contract for the foreseeable future. He also, like Deontay Wilder or Francis Ngannou, is a Heavyweight, a division Paul claimed he would be avoiding after the brutal Anthony Joshua knockout (watch it again here).
There is one commonality though: any of those athletes could make a boatload of money fighting Jake Paul.