In preparation for his MMA debut, Jake Paul has begun Brazilian jiu-jitsu training with multiple-time world champion Mike Perez.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer signed a contract with PFL earlier this month and will now represent the organization as an athlete advocate. He will work even harder to assist MMA athletes in being paid more and having more possibilities.
Paul dabbled in mixed martial arts (MMA) training on several occasions and had attempted to challenge several of the UFC’s top competitors, including Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
Paul is scheduled to box against Love Island’s Tommy Fury in the ring on February 25.
Perez shared a video of him and Paul working on their grappling techniques on Instagram. In the video, Perez seemed to have travelled to Paul’s headquarters in Puerto Rico. He is heard saying: “First day of jiu-jitsu, let’s get it, Jake Paul BJJ!”
The video has since been deleted from Perez’s feed.
Under the tutelage of famous instructor Andre Galvao, Perez received his jiu-jitsu black belt in 2017. The American has a 23-win and 17-loss record in grappling. He practices at the Atos jiu-jitsu club in California.
PFL head Peter Murray recently said that Paul would make his MMA debut before the end of the year. However, this seems doubtful since Paul has matches scheduled against Tommy Fury and KSI.
On his YouTube channel, Paul said: “Not only am I’m an MMA fighter but I’m also a co-founder of the new PFL pay-per-view super-fight division. I will be the head of fighter advocacy and I’m going to use my platform to market PFL fighters and introduce them to my fans worldwide.”
“I personally will be deeply involved in making sure the PFL is the best place in the world for fighters, with the launch of this new division our fighters will be receiving 50 per cent of the revenue. A partnership that allows fighters to be individual and for them to monetise their own sponsorship deals which as we know, isn’t allowed in the UFC.”