Jake Paul began the year by signing up for the Professional Fighters League to kickstart his mixed martial arts career. Paul’s decision to enter the world of mixed martial arts has been questioned by a number of people, including Chael Sonnen.
The Problem Child has never tasted defeat in the ring, and since he recently won a fight against the renowned Brazilian veteran fighter Anderson Silva, he has become a popular name in the world of mixed martial arts. Jake has won all six of his MMA bouts and has been teasing fights against some major names, such as former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
To everyone’s surprise, however, the internet sensation has decided to abandon boxing for MMA, and not even with the UFC. Jake has signed a multi-fight, multi-year contract with the Professional Fighters League. In addition to his duties as a fighter for this MMA organization, Jake has also taken on the role of Head of Fighter Advocacy.
Chael Sonnen, a former MMA fighter who is now a sports analyst, has stated that he does not fully comprehend the agreement between Jake Paul and PFL. In a video posted on YouTube, he expressed his skepticism regarding the agreement, stating that it was strange because according to Paul, the revenue would be split evenly between the fighters and the promotion.
“Part of that press release was to tell the world that it was a 50% split with the fighters. I don’t know you’re gonna get your bang for your buck for that,” said Sonnen.
Jake Paul signs multi-fight contract with MMA league PFL https://t.co/EnLUfh0Q5u pic.twitter.com/dOGKGREaKc
— New York Post (@nypost) January 5, 2023
“The PFL does seem like very decent people. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard someone complaining. But if you’re doing a pay-per-view business, and you’re splitting it 50/50 and you let the world know that, then that means that you at least believe from a PR perspective you’ve done something cool, and you want some credit for it.“ Sonnen added.
On top of everything else, Sonnen believes there are a lot of things that the new promotion needs to clarify, most particularly the money split up, which needs to be totally clear in order for it to work. If this is not done, Sonnen believes the promotion will not be successful.
“Okay, what does it mean? What does it mean? ‘We’re going to do pay-per-view, and we’re going to keep fifty of the revenue, and give (the rest) to you?” Sonnen continued. “There’s, traditionally speaking, five fights on a pay-per-view card. That means 10 athletes. So do those 10 athletes evenly divide the 50%?” Sonnen further added.
UFC Legend Chael Sonnen Reveals the Problem With Jake Paul & PFL’s 50–50 PPV Pay Claim: “Floyd Mayweather Had Never 50–50 Split…” – https://t.co/uhsvVTxDKp @ULTfightFANS #MMA #UFC pic.twitter.com/fWVp1j9Y8M
— Ultimate Fight Fans (@ULTfightFANS) January 6, 2023
With Jake Paul at the helm of Fighter Advocacy, do you see the Professional Fighters League being able to successfully compete with UFC? Share your opinion in the comments.
