Jake Paul challenges Conor McGregor to a boxing match following 'little dweeb' comment

Jake Paul, the YouTube star turned boxer, has issued a bold challenge to UFC legend Conor McGregor , calling him out for a boxing showdown after being branded a "little dweeb" by the Irishman .

McGregor, a former dual-division UFC champion, has been on Paul's hit list for a potential clash for years, but until now, McGregor has mostly shrugged off Paul's attempts to bait him into a fight .

The tension escalated at a Bare Knuckle FC presser where McGregor, who's recently thrown his weight behind BKFC and is eyeing a future bout there, supported Mike Perry against Paul in their imminent scrap.

• Mike Chandler shares story explaining why Irish people have turned on McGregor

• Conor McGregor urged to 'put the whiskey down' and focus on UFC return

Perry, with a flawless 5-0 in bare-knuckle fighting, is gearing up to take on Paul this coming Saturday. Paul fired back at McGregor's remarks , saying: "First of all he's big upping the BKFC but you're going to see what I'm going to do to their best fighter on Saturday night. I'm going to embarrass their whole entire league, this guy has no skill."

Paul continued his tirade, dismissing the bare-knuckle fighters as lacking finesse: "These guys are just brawler idiot street fighter dudes who have no idea what the sweet science is. Conor McGregor can say what he wants but he won't fight me either so once I knock out Mike Perry, Conor McGregor let's run it, but you won't do it because you know what's going to happen."

He even referenced McGregor's past bouts, taunting: "You saw what I did to Nate Diaz who you went toe-to-toe with so Conor McGregor, get in the gym and start winning fights and maybe we can have a conversation."

Earlier, McGregor had remarked: "Look at what has happened to Michael Perry, one of our big stars here. The King of Violence he titles himself and he's had such a rise in the sport and now he's up against a little dweeb of a thing in a fight this weekend. We're all rooting for him. this is the real thing."

For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .

It's been three years since McGregor stepped into the octagon, his last bout ending with a broken leg in the first round against Dustin Poirier. Now, he's gearing up for a comeback on December 14 to face Michael Chandler, following a withdrawal from their initial June 29 matchup due to McGregor's broken toe.

McGregor's sole venture into boxing was a much-hyped showdown with Floyd Mayweather, where the Irish fighter was defeated by a 10th-round stoppage back in 2017. Meanwhile, Paul has racked up 10 professional fights, tasting defeat just once at the hands of Tommy Fury last year.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .