The Paul brothers have been lightning rods for media attention in the combat sports world, so another callout for one of them should come as no surprise.
But when Hector Lombard recently ran it up the flagpole with Jake Paul, it might have been a little different. Lombard says he’s actually a Paul supporter.
That said, he doesn’t think Paul has much interest in stepping outside of the boxing realm and into the bareknuckle world. That’s where Lombard, a former Bellator champion and UFC standout, has been the past year and a half. A week ago, he won the cruiserweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Joe Riggs at BKFC 18.
And while a title defense is next on the horizon for Lombard, he doesn’t see a day when Paul might give bareknuckle fighting a shot. Paul is scheduled to box former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley next.
“I don’t think he’s ever going to have the balls to fight bareknuckle,” Lombard told MMA Junkie Radio. “This is a guy I’ve been supporting – Jake Paul – way before anybody. I remember when I said on my Instagram that Jake Paul was going to KO Ben Askren, a lot of people laughed at me. But Ben Askren sucks at boxing, so I was right. Jake Paul is a (good) athlete, but I don’t think he’s got the (guts) to ever take the gloves off and fight bareknuckle. I don’t think so. And he can prove me wrong.”
Check out the Lombard’s comments about Paul in the video above and the full interview below.
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Hector Lombard: Jake Paul doesn’t have the balls to fight bareknuckle
