Jake Paul will fight former UFC star Ben Askren in a boxing ring on April 17.
The YouTuber has spent months calling out Conor McGregor — but the Irishman’s defeat to Dustin Poirier over the weekend saw Paul change his focus.
Now the brash 24-year-old will lace up the boxing gloves for his third pro fight against Askren, who was a former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion before joining UFC.
It will be Askren’s first pro boxing fight.
The clash will be the headliner for Triller’s next offering in the US — with a venue still to be decided.
The company, of course, hosted Mike Tyson’s spectacular return to boxing when he drew with Roy Jones Jr. in December.
Paul featured on the card as he battered NBA star Nate Robinson in an embarrassingly one-sided match.
Paul, who downgraded his $50 million offer to Conor McGregor to “$10,000 cash” following the Poirier defeat, posted the news on his Twitter account.
He released a lengthy statement in which he promised to knock Askren out in the first round and “add him to the meme collection.”
“I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter,” Askren told ESPN.com. “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.”
The 36-year-old has an MMA record of 19 wins and just two defeats.
The losses came against Jorge Masvidal and last time out against Demian Maia in October 2019 in UFC.
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