There were zero Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events this weekend, but there was still plenty of combat action going on all over the world. From the “Jake vs. Joshua” event on Netflix on Friday night (Dec. 19, 2025) in Miami, Fla., to Misfits 23 going down the next day in Dubai. Not to mention PFL was holding an event in Africa the same day.
While there were a lot of big winners and losers, Jake Paul — the man who turned the boxing world upside-down — suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Anthony Joshua, leaving him with a broken jaw, his first-ever knockout defeat and one bad hangover.
For the longest time, the biggest knock on “El Gallo” was his knack for carefully hand-picking opponents. But, after his bout against Gervonta Davis was scrapped, Paul surprised everyone by challenging one of the biggest (quite literally) and baddest boxers (literally) in the sport today in Joshua.
Many thought the fight was going to be just another spectacle (like this), but it ended up being the real deal after Joshua delivered a teeth-crushing blow that put “El Gallo” out for the count (see it again here). Whether you like Paul or not, you have to give him some credit for finally stepping into the ring with a man who isn’t over the hill and actually in the prime of his career.
On top of that, he was outweighed by more than 30 pounds by the towering Brit, who carries knockout power to that can erase the best big men on the planet. Indeed, a bloated Cruiserweight getting hit with one of his shots never had a chance to end well, but Paul still took the leap … and suffered the consequences for it. Perhaps he was finally trying to silence all of his critics, or he actually thought he had a chance.
Despite the crushing and devastating defeat, Paul isn’t going anywhere. He might take a break to heal his wounds, but he is determined to come back better than ever, and going six rounds with Joshua will only give him that much more confidence.
“I’m going to come back and fight people my weight and go for the cruiserweight world championship at some point,” Paul said during his post-fight interview. “I’m going to take a little break. I’ve been going hard for six years, so I’m going to take some time off.”
That said, next time around he will be likely taking on someone his own size. We also hope it will be someone with legit skills that can give him trouble. There really is no telling where Paul will turn for his next challenge, but you can bet there will be plenty of combat stars out there chomping on the bit to win the sweepstakes and the bag that comes with facing the YouTube star-turned boxer.
Here are five possible options:
- Tommy Fury rematch
- Manny Pacquiao
- Gervonta Davis
- Ryan Garcia
- Logan Paul
Some of those are realistic and some far-fetched. Either way, it will be interesting to see what comes next. In the meantime, care to offer up a suggestion (or three) of your own?
