Jean-Claude Van Damme wants to fight Jake Paul.
The B-movie action hero, who is starting to look like one of the Goombas from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie, issued a challenge last week to the “handsome” and “beautiful” celebrity boxer. Van Damme is pitching a modified rules bout for the end of 2026, pitting kickboxing against boxing.
“Hi Jake, this is JCVD, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bloodsport. Let’s do a fight, a real fight, of course,” Van Damme said on social media. “I promise you, I will not kick below the belt, which means no low kick, so I don’t break your knee, I don’t break your ankle. That’s No. 1. No. 2, you cover yourself, same for me, I guess. You’ve done a good fight with ‘AJ,’ people make fun, but you were very courageous.”
Paul is coming off a jaw-breaking loss to Anthony Joshua.
“It can be done in Macau, in Las Vegas, it can be in Middle East, Paris, the UK,” Van Damme continued. “I like Macau or Dubai or Abu Dhabi, whatever. Saudi Arabia. You choose the place and I’ll give 15 percent of my profit to charity. You can do the same. If not, your decision. K1 without boxing, without low kick and-or without elbow. I will not stop until you say yes. What do you have to lose? You are handsome. You are beautiful, I don’t drive a Ferrari, I don’t use my spray perfume. I am a normal guy who just want to kick your ass. Simple like that.”
Wow, 15 percent, so generous!
UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, is backing Van Damme.
“The Legend and Father of Western World Thai Boxing, Jean Claude Van Damme, will smoke baby Jake Paul and seek revenge for everyone!” Shevchenko wrote on X. “The old school truly represents the real deal!”
Revenge? Revenge for what?
Not surprisingly, Paul has yet to respond to Van Damme’s challenge (and probably won’t).
