Copyright yardbarker
Junior dos Santos? A beloved fighter. UFC champion. Good human. Also: a washed legend. Junior dos Santos had dangerous hands in MMA — but “good boxing for MMA” turns into pillow-fisted tourism the moment you step into an actual boxing ring. The difference hits harder than Francis Ngannou hits heavy bags. Which, ironically, makes him a perfect candidate for Paul’s next fight, because his entire boxing career has been built on timing, not talent scouting, waiting until names fade, then monetizing their nostalgia. JDS: Exhibit #47 in Paul’s “Retired Names Only” Tour Junior dos Santos hasn’t been a competitive threat at the elite level in years. Great boxing for MMA? Absolutely. Hands you respected. Heart that no one questions. But anyone pretending a JDS boxing match in 2025 is meaningful competition is either delusional or selling a pay-per-view. Which, let’s be honest, is the operating system behind Jake Paul’s next fight anyway: Avoid active boxers your size Select legends after their prime Profit from name value, not sporting merit Ali tossing out JDS wasn’t a formal pitch; it was a shrug suggestion. A “what about this guy?” moment. Yet it fits perfectly because Paul’s next fight rarely involves actual contenders, just familiar faces past their mileage limit. Diaz, Ngannou, Dos Santos: One Real Opponent, Two Posters Let’s review the list of possible opponents now: This isn’t matchmaking — this is auditioning nostalgia properties, and Ali suggesting JDS shows the truth everyone already knows about Jake Paul’s next fight: He’ll do anything except face a young, active, naturally-sized professional boxer. He is allergic to fair competition the same way Diaz is allergic to media day enthusiasm. In a Fair World? It’s Ngannou If we lived in a real meritocracy and Jake Paul’s next fight was about proving legitimacy, it would be Francis Ngannou in a real, unscripted bout. Not “exhibition rules, not “mutual entertainment understanding,” a fight. Ngannou isn’t playing influencer spar-sessions — he’d fold Jake up like a rental scooter. That matchup ends faster than a KSI feud burns out online. Nobody expects Jake Paul to win. That’s the point. At least it would be honest. Instead? We get Diaz again or legends collecting checks on the nostalgia tour. Bottom Line Ali Abdelaziz casually mentioning Junior dos Santos doesn’t make it real — it just proves the circus is so loud that even corners of MMA that once symbolized respect and discipline can’t fully ignore Jake Paul anymore. In the bizarre search for Jake Paul’s next fight, a washed legend suggestion somehow fits perfectly. The Paul business model is simple: Annoy the world. Avoid real threats. Get richer anyway. Even when the suggestion is ridiculous? We look. We argue. We doom-scroll. Because the real nightmare isn’t Jake Paul’s next fight. It’s that we’re all still watching.
