Jake Paul To Fight UFC Champ Ben Askren In Pro-boxing Match This Spring

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This will the YouTuber’s third pro-boxing match, and is scheduled to take place on April 17 at a location that has yet to be announced.

Paul gained notoriety for the oft-controversial YouTube videos he created along with his brother, Logan. He decided to turn his career’s trajectory towards boxing, defeating both fellow vloggers Deji and AnEson Gib. 

The controversial 24 year-old YouTuber called Askren  “Mr. Napoleon Dynamite look-alike” on an Instagram post announcing the match.

"I shocked the world when I knockout an NBA superstar athlete, but some people still complained that he’s not a real fighter...," Paul wrote. "So now I’m giving the people what they want by taking on a real fighter... After I add Ben to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say?"

Askren on his part, had some choice words for the YouTuber. “I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter,” the 36-year-old Bellator and ONE Welterweight champion said to ESPN. “I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter really is 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.”

Paul had unsuccessfully tried to face off with UFC fighters like Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor who he initially offered $50 million before the UFC fighter lost to Dustin Poirier recently.

The fight will take place under the Triller Fight Club banner and will serve as the main event. According to Triller founder Ryan Kavanaugh, the location of the event, which will air on traditional pay-per-view platforms, hasn't been finalized yet.

The full card, which is expected to feature familiar names from the world of boxing, present and past, as well as other social media celebrities and MMA fighters all competing in boxing matches, will be revealed in the coming weeks.