AKA coach Javier Mendez answers how long it will take to prepare Jake Paul for an MMA fight

Jake Paul expressed interest in switching over to MMA in the lead-up to his boxing rematch with Tyron Woodley late last year. The YouTuber turned boxer also revealed that he wishes to train under the tutelage of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) head coach Javier Mendez.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Javier Mendez praised 'The Problem Child' for his abilities and offered thoughts on how long it would take for someone of his level to start fighting in MMA. The AKA head coach said:

"If Jake Paul wanted to do MMA, I'm sure he can. He's a wrestler and now he's got boxing, and he's a great athlete. So I think getting him ready wouldn't take too long, but at the same time too, it depends on the level, you know, where you're going to put him."

Mendez added:

"You can't put him in with someone that's got great jiu-jitsu or great wrestling. They can take him down because he's not going to be able to survive that. So, he's going to need time."

Watch Javier Mendez's interview below:

The idea of Jake Paul transitioning into MMA has been discussed since he first teased a venture into the sport. Interestingly, 'The Problem Child' has shared the boxing ring with MMA fighters like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in the past. It would be intriguing to see how he performs inside the cage with a few years of training.

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Jake Paul insists he already knows grappling, claims he needs to focus on leg kicks for MMA

Jake Paul could already be working towards his much-discussed MMA debut ahead of his return to the boxing ring later this month. During an episode of his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, the social media star revealed that he has a major announcement coming in regards to a move to MMA.

Paul also noted that he will be training with Javier Mendez. He seems confident in his jiu-jitsu and wrestling ability but believes that he will need to work on his kicking skills. 'The Problem Child' said:

"I can just tease that I'm working with a big organization right now on a whole thing in MMA that also has to do with me fighting and we're gonna have an announcement soon. Cause I wanna do it and Javier Mendez said he would train me. So I'll go to AKA. I'll probably need like a year, a year and a half to get the kicks down. I already know jiu-jitsu... I wanna be able to do everything in there, at least checking kicks. I know how to wrestle already."

Watch Jake Paul tease a move to MMA in the video below (starting at the 55:10 mark):

It appears that Paul could be in talks with an MMA promotion for his professional debut. However, the Cleveland native is still very much focused on his boxing career as of right now. 'The Problem Child' is gearing up to take on former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona.