Just months after his fight and loss against Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul has found himself in one other 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 brand new chapter unfolded when Ross’ guest, Topuria, and Paul engaged in a virtual verbal spat. In the course of the online stream, Topuria was asked about his thoughts on Paul, to which he claimed that “The Problem Child” was “a really bad boxer.”
“I like the way in which that he represents himself, as a boxer, I believe he s**ks. He’s a really bad boxer. But I like being that bad, how he does it and the way he promotes himself could be very, I do not know,” Topuria said. When further asked by Ross why Topuria doesn’t consider Paul boxer, he responded, “Because he isn’t boxer. He doesn’t have the abilities to be boxer. But [anyway] he’s doing an ideal job because he sells greater than most individuals.”
Ilia Topuria says Jake Paul is a foul boxer 😭
“As a boxer I believe he sucks. He’s a really bad boxer.”
(via @adinross) pic.twitter.com/808vSt49fs
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 26, 2026
Ilia Topuria and Jake Paul engage in a heated conversation
Nevertheless, things soon got heated when Paul joined the stream and responded to Topuria’s claims. The UFC fighter claimed that when putting together an inventory of YouTubers and streamers, Paul is the most effective boxers, but compared to other boxers, Paul is “average.”
“Yeah? Let’s spar. After I beat your a** in sparring, what is going to you say then?” Paul said while difficult the 29-year-old. Topuria, not backing down from the challenge, responded and claimed that he was able to spar every time Paul’s jaw healed.
“The thing is, I don’t need the jaw to be healed, since you’re not gonna touch me, bro. You MMA fighters are all trash, I beat all of the very 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 provide you with a combo and take you to the peak of my b***s, and you’re gonna be in your f****ng knees.” Nevertheless, things didn’t 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 receives a commission 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 problem calmly.