Report: Jake Paul to Box Retired MMA Champion Ben Askren

YouTube star Jake Paul is set to face retired MMA champion Ben Askren in his next boxing match, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani. 

The fight will be the main event of a yet-to-be-announced card featured on Triller, a short-form video platform, according to cofounder Ryan Kavanaugh. The eight-round match will take place on April 17 and will be available via pay-per-view from a location yet to be named. 

Paul, 24, made waves in the boxing community after recording a second-round knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson in November. Paul debuted as a boxer with a first-round TKO against fellow YouTube personality Ali Eson Gib in January 2020.

Askren, 36, will face Paul a year after retiring from MMA due to hip replacement surgery, which was completed in August. Askren went 19–2 (1) during his time in MMA and finished his career with a technical submission loss against Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 26, 2019.

Paul has reportedly received much interest from pro fighters and athletes since his debut but opted for Askren as his next opponent.

"Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor," Paul said, per ESPN. "Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I'm still going to knock his a-- out faster than [Jorge] Masvidal."

Jake is the younger brother of Logan Paul, a YouTube personality who is set to face Floyd Mayweather (50–0) in a boxing exhibition in February.