Jake Paul cleared to fight after Joshua jaw surgery, targets Strickland and McGregor

Jake Paul has been medically cleared to return to boxing following the broken jaw he suffered when Anthony Joshua stopped him in the sixth round in December 2025, his promoter Most Valuable Promotions confirmed on Thursday. The injury required two surgical procedures, the second of which took place in February.

“Jake Paul has been cleared to return to the boxing ring,” MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian wrote on X, ending months of uncertainty over the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s timeline for a comeback.

Alongside the clearance announcement, Paul published a wide-ranging wishlist of potential opponents that spans both boxing and MMA. The names include Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia, Deontay Wilder, KSI, Chris Eubank and Edgar Berlanga on the boxing side, while current and former UFC fighters Conor McGregor, Sean Strickland, Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Darren Till and Tom Aspinall also feature.

The list arrives at a moment of public frustration from at least one of those targets. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland aired his grievances over fighter pay on X, writing: “I gotta be honest, unless things change with the UFC I’m kinda over it. McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 seconds and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it. Contemplating just going to 205 [pounds], knocking out my contract and scrapping with Jake Paul. That sounds fun.”

Paul, who has repeatedly criticised the UFC’s fighter pay structure, responded directly to Strickland’s post. “Sean Strickland, I see your texts but are you out of contract?” he wrote. “Tell your ‘promoter’ to call MVP.”

The exchange adds genuine momentum to what had previously been a speculative crossover matchup. Whether Strickland’s contract situation with the UFC would permit such a bout remains unclear, but the public back-and-forth between the two suggests both camps have appetite for the fight.

Paul’s defeat to Joshua was the most significant setback of his professional boxing career, ending a run that had included wins over former UFC champions and established boxers. The Joshua loss, and the lengthy recovery that followed, will frame whatever return fight his team ultimately secures.