5 UFC stars who should consider challenging Jake Paul after fighting out their contract

#4. Dustin Poirier - UFC lightweight

Dustin Poirier recently came up short in his second shot at the UFC lightweight title. The current champion, Charles Oliveira, locked in a rear-naked choke submission to finish 'The Diamond' in round 3 at UFC 269.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Poirier confessed that this may have been his last shot at the UFC belt. He appeared more interested in a high-profile money fight than working his way back to a shot at the belt as well.

If this is Poirier's mentality now, then he could play out his contract with fights against the likes of Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Tony Ferguson. The hype he would generate off having fought such notable names as these would likely provide enough of an incentive for Jake Paul to take a boxing match with him.

Poirier would be noticeably smaller than Jake Paul, but his boxing skills are incredibly high level. Furthermore, he has already stated that a move up to welterweight is near inevitable.

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#3. Conor McGregor - UFC lightweight/welterweight

Conor McGregor's UFC career now appears to be firmly on the decline. The former double champ has had only one win since 2016, and was finished twice by Dustin Poirier in 2021.

However, the 'Notorious' Irishman still retains much of the name value that saw him become one of the most globally recognized sports stars in the world. Should he have another unsuccessful year of MMA in 2022, he might be tempted to cross back over to boxing for a huge pay-per-view event against Jake Paul.

McGregor, of course, previously competed in the boxing ring against a legend of the sport in Floyd Mayweather. The event was hugely lucrative, despite McGregor ultimately coming up short.

Depending on how next year plays out, a Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul boxing match does not seem beyond the realms of possibility.