Over the last month, the talk of the UFC has been a “fighter” that doesn’t even compete inside the octagon — Jake Paul. The YouTuber turned boxer embarrassed ex-MMA great Ben Askren with a first-round knockout then proceeded to call out one UFC legend after another. 

These antics have drawn Paul the ire of the entire UFC community. You saw this culminate at UFC 261, which Paul attended. On the night, not only did Daniel Cormier confront him in the crowd, but the entire sold-out arena chanted “F*ck Jake Paul” multiple times.

Somehow, someway, Paul has the UFC at the palm of his hands. With the UFC 262 fight card right around the corner, does Paul have another show-stealing trick up his sleeve?

Who knows, but until Paul is laid out in the boxing ring, this circus show won’t see an end anytime soon — for better or worse. If you’re like most UFC fans, you probably want to see Paul silence once and for all. Welp, we have a few fighters that could do us all a favor and do the trick. Here are our prime candidates:  

Conor McGregor

No UFC fighter has been called out more by Paul than “Mystic Mac.” McGregor has never publicly acknowledged Paul directly, but did take a swipe at Floyd Mayweather on Instagram for fighting Jake’s older brother, Logan. 

The IG response leads us to believe McGregor takes himself too seriously to fight Jake. But if he did step into the ring, there’s ample evidence to suggest he’ll wipe the floor with Paul.

The thing about Paul is, while he’s no pushover, he’s never faced a real-stand-up fighter. Paul has recorded three boxing wins over, get this, some YouTuber name dAnEsonGib, former NBA player Nate Robinson, and the aforementioned Askren. None of these guys can punch worth a lick. 

McGregor, on the other hand, has made a career out of knocking his opponents silly. Of course, this was in MMA and boxing is an entirely different animal — different gloves, different footwork — but the power and precision is there to make Paul pay inside the ring. 

Not only that, but McGregor isn’t washed athletically like Robinson or Askren, both of whom are pushing 40s. A natural striker in tip-top shape, yeah, that’s a guy we’re betting on over a YouTuber with two years of boxing experience. 

“Conor McGregor” by UFC is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Tyron Woodley

A McGregor-Paul fight would be a blockbuster, but it’s also furthest from happening right now as Conor is fully dedicated to UFC (he plans to fight two more times this year post-Dustin Poirier trilogy). A more realistic match for Paul would be Tyron Woodley. 

Let’s face it, Paul is being extra picky with his boxing opponents. He’s choosing fighters he believes he can beat up on. On paper, Woodley might seem beatable. Here’s a 39-year-old on a four-fight steak inside the octagon. Like his best friend Askren, Woodley is known for his wrestling background. 

But don’t get it twisted, Woodley can throw hands — far better than Askren ever could. Seven of his career wins have come via KO, including one against MMA great Robbie Lawlor. Even more, Woodley’s body remains chiseled. You won’t have to worry about him entering a matchup rocking a dad bod like Askren did versus Paul. 

Kamaru Usman

Outside of McGregor, no current UFC fighter has earned more trash talk from Paul than welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. But unlike Conor, Usman has replied back, telling Paul, “I don’t play fighting and I can change your life in the worst way.”

We believe every word out of Usman’s mouth and then some. C’mon, this guy just knocked out cold Jorge Masvidal — a warrior of a fighter that had only been stopped once in his long career. He can certainly do the same to Paul in the “worst way” as he says. 

Kamura Usman by UFC is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Amanda Nunes

The only active UFC competitor that Dana White has even entertained putting in front of Paul is Amanda Nunes, the G.O.A.T. in the women’s division. Nunes, for her part, said she’s in, too. 

But as we said before, Paul is picking his opponents wisely. He shot down the inter-gender bout idea and used “no one know who she is” as the excuse — not the fact that Nunes is flat-out better at striking than him. Thirteen of Nunes’ 21 career wins have come via knockout and Paul would rather not become number 14, hence him dodging the idea.