Jake Paul’s MMA career has reportedly come to an end before it ever officially began. Three years after signing a deal with PFL – Professional Fighters League, his contract has allegedly expired before a single fight took place.
In January 2023, the younger Paul brother inked a deal with the PFL. At the time, it was reported to be a “multi-year” agreement, with plans outlined for “at least one” MMA fight in 2023.
These plans coincided with the launch of a new ‘Super Fight’ division that existed outside of traditional weight class categories, and also promised improved pay conditions for fighters on Pay-Per-View cards.
Three years on, however, Paul’s time with the PFL has reportedly come to an end, before he ever stepped foot in the ‘Smart Cage’ for a professional scrap.
Jake Paul’s contract with PFL reportedly expires
News comes by way of combat sports’ most credible voice, Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani. During his January 21, 2026 broadcast, he claimed the partnership with Paul and the PFL had come to an end.
“Whatever affiliation, business-wise or not, that Jake Paul and his team had with the PFL, I’m hearing that that is no more,” he said.
Paul nor the PFL has addressed the matter publicly since Helwani’s report. It comes mere days after the PFL’s founder and chairman, Donn Davis, walked away from the company.
At the time of his signing, Paul was interested in an MMA bout with Nate Diaz, even spending some time kickboxing in front of the camera. This ultimately didn’t come to fruition, as the pair instead duked it out in boxing, where Paul won via decision.
There were also talks of bringing current boxing heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk over for an MMA fight, but that clearly fizzled out too.
In the years since, Paul has boxed a number of household names in the sport of boxing, but none bigger than Mike Tyson on Netflix. Even during this stretch, the PFL remained optimistic of Paul’s future in MMA.
Jake Paul went toe-to-toe with one of boxing’s greatest legends on November 15, 2024.
PFL CEO Peter Murray claimed at the time that Paul would step into the cage in 2025, and that the former YouTuber’s boxing efforts would be “finishing up” after the Tyson fight.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Paul then went on to box and beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, before losing via knockout to Anthony Joshua.
