Jake Paul is a man who knows how to generate attention.
The job title of an influencer is often met with ridicule and criticism for its perceived lack of purpose. However, the primary objective of an influencer is to attract attention from both the media and the public. Whether it’s fans, haters, or professionals, an influencer aims to make their name known to all.
For better or worse.
“The Problem Child” “El Gallo” is really good at that, and he successfully brought that mindset into the boxing ring. At first, it was pure spectacle and watched mostly by Paul’s usual audience, which is exactly the kind of gimmick that burns out before long. Over four years later, however, Paul is still going strong, because he found a narrative when Ben Askren signed the dotted line.
Paul started beating up UFC fighters.
Now, there are some asterisks here. Specifically, Paul started taking on older, smaller, sometimes retired UFC fighters in the boxing ring. He has intentionally lined all the odds in his favor every step of the way, but the overall narrative remains: the YouTube dork from Disney is beating up UFC fighters.
The mixed martial arts (MMA) community hates it. Many will act like they don’t care, but deep down, they despise Paul’s perfect (5-0) record against UFC veterans. Think of all the fight fans who watched Anderson Silva effortlessly dismantle the Middleweight division for a decade. He was a more than a man to many, an icon of dominance and skill. Then, he got knocked down by an influencer.
Infuriating.
Even a good narrative comes to an end eventually, and Paul seemed ready to move on from the UFC fighter narrative — unless Conor McGregor was suddenly available, of course. He was ready to box Mike Tyson and make his PFL MMA debut, a savvy shift to generate more attention and avoid staleness.
Alas, Tyson is old as f—k. Predictably, he suffered a medical incident and was forced from the fight. In steps “Platinum” Mike Perry, the UFC castoff-turned bare knuckle boxing star who has been the backup option for Paul in the past. Because of Tyson’s injury, Paul is dipping back into the beat-up-UFC-fighters narrative … sort of.
Perry simultaneously fits and breaks the Paul opponent mold. He’s an ex-UFC fighter and a division lower than Paul, sure, but he’s also at the height of his powers. At 32 years of age, Perry is in his prime and scoring the best wins of his combat sports career. Most important, Perry is an absolute dog, a do-or-die savage who will throw bricks at Paul until he’s unconscious or the eight rounds are up.
In regard to the overarching narrative, it’s quite funny that Perry is inheriting the mantle of MMA’s chosen representative against the evil Paul enemy. Back in 2021, an undisciplined Perry washed out of UFC having lost four of his last five bouts. He was fighting poorly and would’ve been nobody’s pick as face of the sport.
Now, there’s genuine community belief behind the “King of Violence” champion. He’s still an underdog facing size and technical boxing disadvantages, but Perry is a dangerous man, and we’ve seen him chin bigger opponents in the past. He’s not 40 years of age, nor is he a wrestler unsure of how to tie on boxing gloves.
In the year 2021, it was unimaginable to anticipate that “Platinum” would emerge as the MMA’s prime contender to combat the Paul threat.
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