Jake Paul says he'll 'kill' Sean O'Malley, wants fight at UFC 303

With a boxing bout against Mike Tyson scheduled for November, Jake Paul wants to make his mixed martial arts debut before then at UFC 303, and is targeting bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley.

Paul was originally scheduled to face Tyson in a boxing ring on July 20, but due to the boxing legend's health issues, the bout has been rescheduled to November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In the meantime, Paul has been busy stepping into the cage in his first MMA fight and may have a shot at a UFC championship, albeit on a much lighter weight scale, in a UFC-PFL crossover bout at UFC 303 later this month.

“I will 100% beat O'Malley in MMA,” Paul wrote to X. “He's a small guy. PFL vs UFC June 29th.”

Defeat O'Malley in 100% MMA

He is a small man

PFL vs. UFC June 29

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 12, 2024

Tyson's previous MMA fight translator https://t.co/D5OYICXUx2

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 12, 2024

O'Malley, who will fight at 135 pounds, is the current UFC bantamweight champion. Paul is preparing for a heavyweight bout with Tyson and weighed in at 200 pounds for his last fight against Ryan Borland in March.

Last January, Paul signed a multi-fight deal with the PFL to compete in their MMA Superfight pay-per-view event.

In May, PFL CEO Pete Murray told MMA Junkie that the organization expected Paul to make his MMA debut in 2025 after the Tyson bout. However, that was before Tyson's health situation postponed the bout, and it now appears Paul has other plans.

The chances of Paul facing O'Malley inside the Octagon are slim to none, and so is the likelihood he faces anyone else at UFC 303. But there's a chance the YouTuber-turned-boxer could make his MMA debut under the PFL banner against an opponent close to his weight class.

UFC 303 is currently in uncertainty over its main event, with pessimism growing over the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler bout taking place as the event rapidly approaches.

The PFL is scheduled to hold the 2024 PFL 6 on June 28, the day before UFC 303, but that move seems unlikely given that the promotion has previously spoken about how it plans to handle Paul's in-cage debut.