Jake Paul's first PFL appearance is unlikely to happen this year.
The YouTube star has signed a contract with MMA promotion organization PFL, but despite having started training in the sport, he has yet to make his debut and has already been shown footage of him practicing leg kicks.
Paul has since continued his boxing career and will next face heavyweight legend Mike Tyson on July 20th.
And when giving an update on Problem Child's first cage appearance, PFL chief Don Davis insisted it was postponed until further notice.
He said at the media scrum: “If people didn't think Jake was serious about fighting, the good news is he's proven he's serious.
“He's definitely getting better. He's putting more effort into boxing now, there's no doubt about that.
“Where once he might have been 50-50 about both, he now seems to be 90/10 favoring boxing over mixed martial arts.
“So his growth in MMA is not as fast as we thought. Will he fight for the PFL? One hundred percent.
“Will he move to MMA? 100 percent. Is the timing overdue? That's it.”
Paul's debut was expected to take place this year, but he has made it clear that he is prioritizing his lucrative career in boxing.
He verbally offered former boxing opponent Nate Diaz an MMA rematch deal, which he noted in August 2023, but the matchup has yet to materialize.
The 26-year-old first defeated boxer Andre August in December 2023 and stopped Ryan Borland in March 2024 since signing with PFL.
A big event with heavyweight icon Tyson will naturally garner a lot of attention, but it's not without its critics.
Despite the 31-year age difference between the two, Paul believes he was fully entitled to accept the fight and that it was too good an opportunity to turn down.
Tyson hasn't fought professionally since retiring from boxing in 2005, but he'll be 58 when he laces up the gloves again this summer.
However, in November 2020, he fought Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition match that was ruled a draw.
And even though Tyson hasn't fought professionally for long, fans have noted his raw speed in recent training footage and believe Paul should still fear the veteran's power.
