Jake Paul MMA training claims dismissed by UFC legend Daniel Cormier

Jake Paul has been rumored to be making a switch from boxing to MMA and joining the famed AKA gym. However, he won’t get any help from Daniel Cormier. 

Since he first got involved with influencer boxing all the way back in 2018, Jake Paul has made some serious waves in the fight game. The YouTube star has turned a few heads with knockout wins over Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, and Tyron Woodley.

After beating Woodley in late 2021, all eyes are on who he might fight next – with former Middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. reportedly lined up.

There are also rumors that, after long last, Jake might step into the Octagon and fight in the world of MMA – likely for Bellator or PFL, rather than the UFC. Though, he won’t be getting help from some of the top dogs.

After the MMA switch rumors started to swirl, the social media star claimed that he’d be working with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the American Kickboxing Academy team – which also includes former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, with whom he’s had some beef.

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Cormier, now a commentator for the UFC, was asked about Jake possibly joining the gym and getting involved with MMA. Though, he has his doubts.

“No, I have no interest in that. It seems like a lot of ploys, right? It is always ploys,” he told The Schmo. “I don’t know how true much of it is, but it seems like a ploy to me, so I’m not going to play that game.”

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The gym’s head trainer, Javier Mendez, also poured cold water on the YouTuber joining the team immediately – noting that membership requires a vote, no matter who you are or what you’ve done.

“He hasn’t been given consent because he hasn’t asked, it’s not that he won’t, I just know he hasn’t asked,” he also told The Schmo. “If he does get denied, he won’t know who denied him cause we don’t say that.”

It remains to be seen if the YouTuber’s switch will actually happen or, if like Cormier believes, it’s all just a ploy to build some hype.