Famous video blogger Jake Paul announced that he will soon make an important announcement that has to do with his mixed martial arts debut.
According to ‘The Problem Child’, he will soon make the announcement of a big MMA venture which will also involve him fighting.
Paul also claimed that he will be training at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) under the tutelage of head coach Javier Mendez.
The YouTuber-turned-professional boxer believes he will need around a year and a half to master kicks, which he claims is the only weapon lacking in his arsenal. The 25-year-old said on BS w/ Jake Paul:
“I’m working with a big organization right now on a whole thing in MMA that also has to do with me fighting. And we’re gonna have an announcement soon. Cause I wanna do it and Javier Mendez said he would train me. So I’ll go to AKA. I’ll probably need like a year, a year and a half to get the kicks down. I already know jiu-jitsu.”
Javier Mendez on Jake Paul potentially training at AKA
The idea of Jake Paul fighting in MMA has been discussed since ‘The Problem Child’ ventured into the world of combat sports. Paul has also expressed interest in the idea of a future move to MMA, although he remains focused on pugilism for now.
Ahead of his rematch against Tyron Woodley, Paul confirmed his a potential venture into MMA and also claimed that AKA’s Javier Mendez is down to train him. Mendez also confirmed Paul’s claims in an interview with ESPN MMA. Apparently, one of Paul’s coaches, Jacob Chavez, is also a coach at AKA and one of Mendez’s best friends.
However, Mendez later explained that ‘The Problem Child’ had never asked to be trained formally. The AKA head-coach complimented Jake Paul for beautifully marketing a conversation they had which was mostly an exchange of pleasantaries. Mendez said in an interview with The Schmo:
“First of all, he’s never asked. What he’s done is he’s marketed himself out there beautifully. I love the plug he gave us. I think it was a fantastic plug, and I think he is a fantastic person, and I think that he markets himself fantastic. I love what he does. He creates interest. How could you not like a guy who creates interest?”
“I sent him a text of encouragement, a heartfelt message. I felt it was the right type of message to send because it was legit. And he, in turn, returned the favor by talking about training with us.”
Watch Paul’s comments at the 55:08 mark of the video below: