Jake Paul scored a sit-down interview with President Donald Trump and quickly posed a question the president has probably never had to answer before.
“Who would you want to see me fight?’’ Paul asked Trump in the interview, posted March 11 on the boxer/promoter/YouTuber’s X account.
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Replied Trump, “Well, probably Khabib.”
As in Khabib Nurmagomedov, the legendary UFC fighter who retired in 2020 with a record of 29-0 after crushing the likes of Conor McGregor.
“I’m down,” Paul said with a smile of the potential matchup.
The interview apparently took place March 11, when Paul attended a Trump political rally in Kentucky.
Despite Trump’s wishes, it’s unlikely Paul will end up in the Octagon with Nurmagomedov, a 37-year-old Russian who has not stepped inside the Octagon in six years. But Paul told Trump that he’s interested in mixed martial arts and mentioned some possible opponents.
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The list: Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight boxing champion; Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion; Ryan Garcia, the WBC welterweight boxing champion; and Tommy Fury, who handed Paul his first career loss in 2023.
Paul, 29, said he won’t be able to fight again until the end of the year after suffering a broken jaw in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December. Recently Paul said he needed surgery because he didn’t get enough rest during the recovery.
Medical experts have told USA TODAY Sports successful healing from a broken jaw would require eating soft foods and avoiding strenuous exercise for several weeks after the surgery.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump tells Jake Paul who he wants to see him fight next
