Jake Paul’s ‘firepower’ would be too much for Conor McGregor in boxing match, says Khabib’s coach

YouTube star Paul is 5-0 as a professional boxer but has also teased a venture into MMA

Jake Paul would have too much “firepower” for Conor McGregor in a boxing match, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s head coach Javier Mendez.

YouTube star Paul is 5-0 as a professional boxer but has also teased a venture into mixed martial arts, having last year knocked out former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, who also competed in the UFC and held titles in other MMA promotions.

Paul, 25, has long called for a fight against former UFC champion McGregor in either boxing or MMA, and Mendez has weighed in on how a boxing contest between the pair would play out.

“I would favour Jake Paul at 175lbs over Conor in a boxing ring, because he’s too big,” said Mendez, coach of the retired Khabib, who beat McGregor in 2018 to retain the UFC lightweight title.

“But you can’t count Conor out, Conor’s a good boxer, so you can’t discount his boxing ability. But the size is a little much, Jake Paul hits extremely hard as you can tell by what he’s done.

“If you haven’t woken up to Jake Paul’s ability, they better, because he’s only improving. So, I think the size is a big difference and the power would be too much for Conor. Sometimes you can be bigger and not punch harder, but in this case Jake Paul is bigger than Conor and punches harder. And he’s good, so all three variables are with Jake.

Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in October 2018 (Getty)

“He’s just a bigger man fighting a smaller man. Jake Paul also isn’t necessarily a novice anymore; he’s experienced in dealing with high pressure fights, and he’s proven he’s able to handle that pressure. So, it’s a big man versus a little man and the big man just so happens to have more firepower.”

McGregor fought twice in 2021, losing to Dustin Poirier on both occasions.

The Irishman was knocked out by Poirier in January before sustaining a broken leg in the pair’s July clash.

McGregor, 33, is still recovering from that injury but is targeting a late summer comeback to the Octagon.

These quotes first appeared on the Betway Insider US blog.