Conor McGregor would ‘barbecue’ Jake Paul in MMA fight, says UFC star Anthony Smith

YouTube star Jake Paul has claimed he would knock out McGregor in the first round

Jake Paul would “get barbecued” by Conor McGregor in a mixed martial arts contest, according to former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith.

YouTube star Paul has gone 5-0 as a professional boxer, knocking out each man he has fought – including former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, who fought in the UFC and held titles in other MMA promotions.

Paul, 25, has long called for a fight with McGregor, seemingly keen on facing the former dual-weight UFC champion in either a boxing ring or in MMA. The American even suggested last month that he would knock out McGregor in the first round of an MMA bout.

Smith, however, has dismissed Paul’s chances of beating the Irishman.

“First of all, Conor’s half [Paul’s] size right now,” the American told MMA Fighting. “People do miss that. Jake’s a big dude and he’s fighting short, stocky, wrestler welterweights.

“Jake Paul’s my size [light heavyweight]. He’s a big God damn dude. He’s way north of 200lbs. Him fighting Conor in a boxing match, that would probably be a pretty good fight, to be honest with you.

“But is he going to knock [McGregor] out in an MMA fight? No, not when Conor gets kicking; he’s going to kick Jake Paul’s head right off his shoulders.

“People say that Jake can wrestle a little bit so might be able to keep it a little bit competitive for a minute or so. But no, in an MMA fight he’s going to get barbecued.”

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith fought for the division’s title in 2019 (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Smith did commend Paul on the YouTuber’s commitment to boxing, however, expressing an admiration for the 25-year-old’s work ethic.

“I’ve come around on Jake a little bit, too, to be honest with you,” Smith said. “He’s not my type of dude, I’m not sure he and I could hang out and be friends. [But] if he’s truly out here trying to help people and get [fighter] pay up – and it seems like he’s going into his own pocket to help people on his own shows and stuff – I have a hard time knocking that.

“I’ve always said, I don’t have any problem with him making money. If you can get it, get it. I think everyone has the right to compete if they want to. I’ve always stuck up for him and said that he has the right to compete. He has a right to be here, he has a place at the table.

“He trains hard, he takes it very serious, he busts his a**. He’s not as bad as people want to pretend. I got a lot of s*** from the very beginning of this. Every fighter you talk to [says]: ‘That dude sucks, he can’t fight, that dude is s***.’ And from the very beginning I said: ‘I don’t think so. I think he’s OK.’

“Is he going to beat anyone I super respect? Right now, no. But he’s a pretty skilled, really heavy-handed amateur, in my opinion. That dude can f***ing fight. People hate him so much, they forget that.”