Jake Paul to fight Ben Askren, snubs Conor McGregor

Plenty were asking whether Conor McGregor would fight Jake Paul next, but the YouTube sensation has agreed to box another UFC star.

Paige Spiranac was quick with the jokes after Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor at UFC 257 on Sunday.

“So is Conor McGregor fighting Jake Paul next?” tweeted the former golf pro turned Instagram influencer.

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Plenty of other internet pranksters were asking the same thing, questioning whether McGregor’s UFC career was over after a third defeat in his past six fights.

YouTube sensation Paul, who ventured into boxing with knockout wins over fellow internet personality Ali Loui Al-Fakhri and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson last year, offered McGregor $50 million to fight last month, but later reduced that offer to $10,000 as he mocked the Irishman for losing to Poirier.

Would McGregor, his status as the UFC’s main man in decline, accept a big-money offer to take part in the sideshow?

Spiranac has her answer, for now at least, after it emerged on Wednesday Paul has agreed to a boxing match against another UFC star, Ben Askren, putting any potential clash with McGregor on ice.

Paul took to social media to announce the match-up, scheduled for April 17, which will be former Bellator welterweight champion Askren’s first professional boxing fight.

“I’m going to knock him out faster than (Jorge) Masvidal did,” Paul wrote. “Some MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box.

“I shocked the world when I knocked out an NBA superstar athlete, but some people still complained that he’s not a real fighter.

“So now I’m giving the people what they want by taking on a real fighter.”

Jake Paul is backing himself in.

Ben Askren is a little out of the box.

Askren has lost his past two fights in the UFC, knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in July 2019 and submitted by Demian Maia in October that same year.

But he’s confident he can take care of Paul.

“I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter,” Askren told ESPN. “I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like.

“Jake has led a privileged life and doesn’t really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I’m going to put his dreams to an end.”

Askren revealed Paul’s first preference was to fight UFC star Dillon Danis, but when a deal couldn’t be reached he received the call-up.

The fight will be eight rounds and is going to headline an event put on by promoters Triller, expected to include fights with boxers, MMA fighters and internet celebrities.

The fight world was quick to react to the news of Paul vs Askren, with plenty of UFC stars weighing it.

Danis tweeted: “Jake Paul literally ran from me to fight this guy, truly embarrassing.”

MMA fighter Ike Vallie-Flagg wrote: “Hey @Benaskren you better represent for us middle aged guys and beat this kids a**”

Strawweight Kay Hansen summed up the mood of many. “2021 is awful. I hate it here,” she tweeted, with a couple of crying emojis.