'Little dweeb' Jake Paul fires back at Conor McGregor ahead of Mike Perry fight
Hours after Conor McGregor called him a "little dweeb", Jake Paul fired back during his press conference to promote Sunday's (AEST) fight with Mike Perry.
McGregor, who announced earlier this year that he was a co-owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, was asked about his thoughts about Paul taking on the BKFC's own Perry.
"(You can) make a new name for yourself (here in BKFC)," McGregor said during a press conference for the promotion in Spain.
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"Look at what's happened to Michael Perry, one of our big stars here. "'The King of Violence" he titles himself.
"He's had such a rise in the sport. Now he's up against a little dweeb of a thing in a fight this weekend. We're all rooting for him."
At the final press conference ahead of his bout with Perry this weekend, Paul told McGregor to "lay off the cocaine" and said the Irishman will never fight him when asked about his jibe earlier in the day.
Jake Paul and Mike Perry face off. ESTHER LIN/MVP
"You're gonna see what I'm gonna do to their best fighter on Saturday night," Paul said. "I'm gonna embarrass their whole entire league. This guy has no skill.
"Those (BKFC fighters) are just brawler, idiot, street fighter dudes, who have no idea what the sweet science is.
"Conor McGregor can say whatever he wants, but he won't fight me either. Once I knock out Mike Perry, Conor McGregor, let's run it, but you won't do it because you know what's gonna happen. You saw what I did to Nate Diaz, who you went toe to toe with.
"So, Conor McGregor, lay off the cocaine, get in the gym and start winning fights. Then maybe we can have a conversation."
Perry responded: "He's a disrespectful punk. Those men and women fight for their families over there (in BKFC). They put it all on the line, and they get in that ring, and they put on shows for the fans."
Since ending his UFC career, Perry has ventured into the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, winning all five of his contests to date.
Paul and Perry will fight in an eight-round boxing match at 200 pounds on Sunday afternoon AEST.
As for McGregor, the two-time UFC champ addressed his current contract situation with the MMA promotion, telling reporters in Spain he plans to fight out his current deal with the UFC and then possibly cross over to the BKFC.
Conor McGregor was forced to withdraw from his fight with Michael Chandler. Getty
"For me, I have a little business left [with the UFC], two fights left on my contract," McGregor said.
"I'm not up here just as an owner -- 'player/manager' I'll title myself on this one.
He added: "I'm just looking forward to getting back into the Octagon, handling my business with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and seeing what the future holds," he said.
Yet his overall message was to entice other fighters to sign up with the promotion.
"This is a viable option and, in my opinion, the only option," McGregor said. "I don't want to see, nor do I give a f--- about UFC fighters going to PFL or another promotion. You need to break it up and try something new to really break into that next level of superstardom.
"How could you not look to be a two-sport world champion in something as wild as a bare-knuckle fighting organisation?
"We've got the money, too. We have the dough. There are big payouts over here also. For any real fighter out there, that's all you want to hear: money, power and respect. It's all right here. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships has it all."
