Heavy is the head that wears the crown, weather you’re the UFC double champ or a youtuber who may save boxing from obscurity, as quick as a left jab, the tides of the fight game can change. Not so long ago all eyes in the fight world were on Conor McGregor, the Irish man rolled into the cage like a violent hurricane reaching shore, Mystic Mac as he would become to be known, mowed down every opponent in his path to the top spot. Along the way he became the face of the UFC, held the championship belt in welter weight and light weight simultaneously, he even managed a side quest to enter the boxing world and fight arguably the greatest boxer ever in Floyd Mayweather. Ever step of the way McGregor knew the power of social media, he would post wild forecasts of how he was going to win a fight, lavish pictures of parties, cars, and yachts. There came a time when fans were a little worried, he was focusing more on his image outside the ring, then he was putting in work to stay who he had become. All the while reassuring the fans he was in the gym, or he was still hungry, questions arouse about the headlines he was creating with his actions outside the cage.
There was the video footage of an altercation in a pub where Conor appears to punch an old man in the head simply for turning down a shot of whisky, another altercation outside a hotel where a fan wanting a picture got a little closer then McGregor was comfortable with and the result was a cell phone being smashed, then came an alleged sexually assault inside a hotel room from a female fan, followed by the most recent news of McGregor at a party where he invited a very popular Italian DJ and allegedly used his fist to take out some aggression on said DJ’s face. This last incent came after McGregor lost in his third fight with Dustin Poirier, a fight in which McGregor would suffer a freak accident, he would break his leg throwing a kick that Poirier would defend. Mystic Mac was carried out of the arena on a stretcher and once again there were so many questions floating around like lucky charm marshmallows in milk, what just happened? Was McGregor’s leg going to be, ok? Would he be able to fight again and if so, who would he fight?
Jake Paul to most is a YouTuber that has annoyed his way into pop culture. From his early years Jake and his brother Logan quickly learned the power of social media and rode that wave as if they were professional surfers, assembling a cult like following in the millions, but as Jake grew older so did his fan base, and a “what publicity stunt or statement was he going to say or do next” slightly began to grow stale. A budding feud with fellow youtubers had started to grow, weather out of jealously or disrespect, people started to call out Jake, saying things like “oh if we fought, I’d beat his ass ect.” Jake never one to shy away from anything was more than willing to put his money where his mouth was. He agreed to an amateur boxing fight against Deji Olatunji a semi famous rapper/youtuber in his own right, and Jake would win by TKO in the fifth round.
After the win, Jake seemed to understand he could thrive in this fight game the same ways he did in the Facebook and YouTube world, so he took to social media and continued to shit talk, saying he’d take on anyone that wanted to lace up a pair of gloves, he would get his call out answered by yet another YouTube personality in AnEsonGIb. This bout would be sanctioned as a pro boxing bout, the debut for both men, and Jake would again win this fight, first round TKO. After this win, Jake started taking stock in his newfound passion of punching people in the face and he wanted more bigger fights and bigger pay days. For still unknow reasons ex-basketball all star Nate Robinson thought he had what it took to shut up this “Youtuber”. Robinson did not. In Jake’s second professional bout, he would flat line Nate Robinson in the first round, in under two minutes. It was after this fight that some people started to buy into the hype of Jake Paul as a boxer, but we needed to see if he could hold his own against an actual fighter. After a back and forth on social media that question would be asked and answered by former all-American wrestler, One FC champion and ex UFC star Ben Askren. This would be the first true test of Jake’s skills as a fighter, to stand toe to toe against an opponent who has fought all around the world under the bright lights of big fights. Jake would pass the test like Maverick at top gun school, Jake would once again win, by stomping the brake pad on Askren’s face, winning in the first round, by TKO. Jakes next opponent would come by way of Ben Askren’s best friend and future hall of famer Tyron Woodley, a headhunter in his own right with having seven knocks on his way to becoming UFC champion, and with the chip on his shoulder of being out to avenge his friend Askren, this should have been Jake Paul’s biggest test. It wasn’t, Woodley would land only one solid punch which should have dropped Jake, it did not, and Jake would win a decision victory over Woodley. Speculation of a rematch ran through the internet like a forest fire, but those embers were dashed when it was announced that Jake Paul would be fighting a legit professional boxer in Tommy Fury before the end of the year.
Here my friend is where shit gets interesting. Let’s say Jake Paul beats Tommy Fury, and Connor McGregor is still out there running his mouth about being the best fighter ever. Jake and Connor have taken verbal jabs at each other on social media, which has become the norm for both men, but in the new world where Jake Paul is the one making the most noise on social media, where Jake Paul is in the headlines for winning fights, Connor McGregor has only won one in his last four fights, and the headlines he’s making are they kind that are giving his UFC boss a headache. It could very well be that come some time next year, a fight with Jake Paul, could be the beginning of the comeback trail that Mystic Mac my need. The shit talking these two guys would come up with leading up to the fight would rival that of when Connor first stepped into the boxing world against Floyd Mayweather, and even if money weren’t an option, they pay day would be a ridiculous amount of Scrooge McDuck style money, a win for Jake Paul would boost his stock even that much more, but a win for Connor could maybe start to rebuild something that has been lost in the Irish horizon.