Ex-UFC beast Francis Ngannou keen to ‘beat Jake Paul’s ass’

Francis Ngannou has finally turned the tables on Jake Paul, and the tension is palpable.

During a kickoff press conference on Tuesday for his upcoming return to the cage, the former UFC champ didn't mince words when asked about a potential scrap with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

"No, I’m not interested in fighting Jake Paul," Ngannou told the room. "I’m interested in beating his ass." 

Paul, sitting in the crowd, looked a bit crook about this sentiment as the camera panned to his face. 

The beef between these two has been simmering since late last year when Paul said Ngannou had “no chin” and was “lowkey soft”. Then, a month ago, Ngannou was asked by TMZ Sports whether he would fight Paul, and his answer was simple: 

“Don't disrespect me like that.” 

Seems like times have changed for the big man. 

When later asked for his response at the press conference, Paul didn’t hold back. 

“I’m down, I’ve always been down,” is what he started with. 

 Then, he got even more confident: “You were the option before Anthony Joshua. You ran like a duck, and I bet you didn’t think I’d last longer than you did with Anthony Joshua either.” 

Last year, Paul lasted six rounds before getting KO’d by Joshua, whereas Ngannou, when fighting Joshua, only lasted two rounds. 

Paul ended his statement to Ngannou, saying he “gets worked” in boxing, and that he “would love” to see a fight between them happen. 

Unimpressed, Ngannou said Paul was “just being a small boy” when the proposition of them fighting initially came up. He said Paul didn’t understand that he was “being a little disrespectful”, so now he wants to “kick his ass”. 

“I really didn’t wanna fight you, but now I really wanna beat you. So there’s a difference.” 

Jake’s reply? “Let’s do it.” 

Some in the comments reckon Jake has a chance “given what he has learned recently”, while others speculate he’s gonna get hit so hard, “he’s gonna wake back up on Disney Channel.” 

Given that Ngannou has ended half of his professional fights by KO before the two-minute mark, Jake is very confident for standing up to him.