'Get in line... he's training with the best': Light shed on Jake Paul's PFL future as Aussie calls him out
Updated . First published at
Professional Fighters League boss Peter Murray is hopeful that Jake Paul will make his highly anticipated MMA debut next year.
Paul, 28, is 11-1 as a boxer and will next fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Anaheim on June 29 (AEST).
But the former YouTuber is also on the books of the PFL with an option to fight in addition to his 'advisory' role.
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Jake Paul poses for a photo after defeating Nate Diaz. Getty
"We love Jake. He's super focused on boxing right now but..." Murray told reporters at the PFL Pacific launch in Sydney - before Australia's Rob Wilkinson interjected to offer his services for a Paul fight.
"You know what, get in line," Murray told Wilkinson with a grin.
"I will tell you, there is a line but Jake is committed to boxing. You see what he's doing in that sport, but he also continues to train in MMA.
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PFL CEO Peter Murray speaks during the Professional Fighters League Pacific launch press conference. Getty
"He's got a PFL SmartCage set up in his place in Puerto Rico. He's training with the best so we'll see. We'd like to see him make that debut next year but more to come on those details."
PFL Pacific will feature elite regional fighters competing for top prize money in the league's signature 'win and advance' tournament format.
Stan is the exclusive home for the entire PFL portfolio across Australia, live and on demand, with select premium events available on Stan pay per view.
Rob Wilkinson during the Professional Fighters League Pacific launch press conference. Getty
Key PFL events will air free-to-air on 9Now and the 9Network featuring live fights, archived events, highlights and exclusive content.
"The first event is slated for the end of this year in December and then we'll be announcing our schedule for 2026 in the coming months. Many of these athletes have to leave Australia and New Zealand to go on their journey and now they can stay home," Murray said.
"This has been a long time coming. Sitting next to Rob in 2022, he won the world championship for the PFL global season. And called out, after raising his belt, 'PFL come to Australia.' Three years later here we are and we're not leaving."
Stan's director of sport, Ben Kimber, described the partnership as "seismic" for Australian fans.
"The PFL guys say this is the way you change the sport. In Australia, we see this as the way you can change a sporting landscape," Kimber said.
"This arrival is absolutely seismic. This is the right product at the right time, in the right place with the right partnership. The growth of MMA worldwide that we've seen in the last 10 years has been phenomenal... the time is right now, Australia is crying out for this."
James Frewin and Peter Murray of the PFL and Dan Taylor and Ben Kimber from Stan. Getty Images for PFL
Tasmanian Wilkinson said PFL Pacific would be a game changer for MMA athletes in the region.
"It's super exciting. There was nothing like this when I was starting out fighting," the 33-year-old said.
"It's pretty surreal, I'm stoked that they're coming here, we've got so much talent in Australia and around this area. It's just life changing, you know, like when we all started fighting, we're getting a few hundred bucks to fight. If you're a good fighter and you're winning, you're going to progress and get to the top."
