Jake Paul goes on rant against ‘idiot’ Francis Ngannou for not accepting December boxing showdown

Tensions continue to escalate between PFL business partners Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou over Ngannou’s recent decline of a fight offer.

Jake Paul will face former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua next month in what will easily be the toughest test of his career in the ring. Joshua, who returns for the first time since a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024, will look to hand the polarizing Paul his second-career defeat in boxing.

In the buildup to his fight with Joshua, relations between Paul and Joshua’s former opponent, Francis Ngannou, have deteriorated in recent weeks. Paul and the former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou have gone back-and-forth over recent remarks the latter made about considering a fight offer to face Paul, ‘disrespectful’.

Things between Paul and Ngannou, who are business partners under the Professional Fighters League banner, are quickly taking a hostile turn.

Jake Paul intensifies Francis Ngannou feud after weeks of social media barbs

During a recent media scrum with MMA Junkie and other outlets, Paul was asked if his opinion of his PFL business partner, Ngannou, had changed in recent weeks.

“I just thought, he’s just an idiot. What are you doing? If you’re so confident, if you feel so disrespected, having all this bad publicity about your name over the past year, year and a half. This is an opportunity to correct that and stop me,” Paul said of Ngannou.

“He’s basically also talking s— to Mike Tyson for fighting me. Francis, you’re nowhere near the legend, and never will be even close to the legend of Mike Tyson. And you’re saying it’s disrespectful to get in the ring?”

As of this writing, Ngannou hasn’t responded to Paul’s latest remarks. He hasn’t fought in combat sports since an MMA win over Renan Ferreira in the PFL last year.