Rival questions Jake Paul's extreme weight jump

Jake Paul’s next opponent Mike Perry believes the change in the YouTuber’s physique boils down to one thing – steroids.

Perry, the BKFC’s biggest star will meet Paul in an eight-round boxing match on July 21 AEST in Tampa Florida.

Paul signed on to take on the former UFC fighter after Mike Tyson pulled out of the original event and piled on weight in order to take on the former heavyweight champion.

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It’s understood Paul is weighing around 105kg (230lbs) for the bout which is in stark contrast to when he fought Tyron Woodley at 86kgs (190lbs) in 2021.

Paul has steadily gained weight over recent years, but Perry, speaking on the Michael Bisping podcast, said the massive jump in weight in the lead up to the Tyson fight was too extreme.

“Well, he’s gotta be hot. If he went from, you know, 210, if he really did go to 230, he had to use something. I don’t know how the testing is going to be,” Perry said.

“They may test me and not test him. That’s fine. I’ve fought people who are on it. I know I’ve trained with people who are on the juice. You know, it is what it is.

“You can test me any day of the week. I eat chicken and steak, and I eat rice, and I train, and I just love to fight. So, it’s just more of a mentality thing for me.”

Perry was initially offered to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the Paul vs Tyson undercard, but was called in to fill the void after Tyson’s withdrawal.

Perry, who signed an $12 million deal with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and reportedly earns $US1.5 million a fight with the promotion, confirmed the money he’s earning for the Paul fight is “nothing crazy”.

“It’s not bad. It’s right on cue with BKFC,” he said.

“I’m hoping the pay-per-view does well and that people buy the show because DAZN be a little pricey out there sometimes.

“But we are out there working for that money, so buy the event and I’ll give you the fight you want to see, I’m going to do that regardless.

“The money is right there with BKFC with me and I’ve already established and set myself and my family up.”

Perry has amassed a 14-8 record in mixed martial arts, and boasts a perfect 5-0 BKFC record with wins over Michael “Venom” Page, Luke Rockhold, Julian Lane, Eddie Alvarez, and Thiago Alves.

He has one professional boxing match on his record, which he lost by knockout to Kenneth McNeil in March 2015.