Just months after his fight and loss against Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul has found himself in another battle. Recovering from his recent jaw surgery, Paul recently engaged in a verbal battle with UFC fighter Ilia Topuria.
During Adin Ross' latest live stream, a new chapter unfolded when Ross' guest, Topuria, and Paul engaged in a virtual verbal spat. During the online stream, Topuria was asked about his thoughts on Paul, to which he claimed that “The Problem Child” was “a very bad boxer.”
“I like the way that he represents himself, as a boxer, I think he s**ks. He's a very bad boxer. But I love being that bad, how he does it and how he promotes himself is very, I don't know,” Topuria said. When further asked by Ross why Topuria does not consider Paul a good boxer, he responded, “Because he is not a good boxer. He doesn't have the skills to be a good boxer. But [anyway] he is doing a great job because he sells more than most people.”
Ilia Topuria says Jake Paul is a bad boxer 😭
“As a boxer I think he sucks. He's a very bad boxer.”
(via @adinross) pic.twitter.com/808vSt49fs
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 26, 2026
Ilia Topuria and Jake Paul engage in a heated conversation
However, things soon got heated when Paul joined the stream and responded to Topuria's claims. The UFC fighter claimed that when putting together a list of YouTubers and streamers, Paul is one of the best boxers, but when compared to other boxers, Paul is “average.”
“Yeah? Let's spar. When I beat your a** in sparring, what will you say then?” Paul said while challenging the 29-year-old. Topuria, not backing down from the challenge, responded and claimed that he was ready to spar whenever Paul's jaw healed.
“The thing is, I don’t need the jaw to be healed, because you’re not gonna touch me, bro. You MMA fighters are all trash, I beat all of the best in your sport [in boxing matches],” Paul stated as things continued to get heated. Things further escalated when Paul took a dig at Topuria's height.
Topuria, not withdrawing from the fight, claimed, “Listen, I'm gonna give you a combo and take you to the height of my b***s, and you are gonna be on your f****ng knees.” However, things did not stop there, as Paul also took a shot at Topuria's UFC pay. “You make probably $2 million a fight, and he (Dana White) just paid Conor Benn ($15 million),” Paul said. “Brother, you get paid as much as an NFL rookie. Like, congrats,” he finished. While Paul continued a heated debate about Topuria's pay, the UFC fighter handled the issue calmly.
