Jake Paul, leveraging his business acumen and partnership with Nakisa Bidarian, has successfully turned himself into a lucrative brand in combat sports, drawing significant attention from younger audiences and securing multimillion-dollar deals, while also expressing aspirations to own an NFL team.
Jake Paul might not win a popularity contest, but his business acumen is undeniable. Most fighters struggle financially when they start out. But not Jake. At just 27, this Ohio native was already cashing in multi-millions from his first three fights. It was a meeting with Nakisa Bidarian, the former UFC CFO, that changed everything. Bidarian saw Paul’s potential and partnered with him through Most Valuable Promotions.
“I saw a unique opportunity,” Bidarian told The Hollywood Reporter about his vision for Jake. After their initial meeting, Bidarian produced a pay-per-view event featuring Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. On the undercard? Jake Paul vs. Nate Robinson. This strategic move paid off big time.
Paul made $1 million for the fight, which was six times less than his debut earnings against AnEsonGib. Yet, it was all part of a bigger plan. “If you perform well,” Bidarian promised, “your next payday will be at least eight figures.” And he delivered—a $10 million guarantee for Paul’s fight against Ben Askren.
Those massive payouts were just one piece of the puzzle. Bidarian recognized Paul’s appeal to younger audiences—Gen Z and Gen Alpha—who were shifting interest from boxing to MMA. “Jake’s been pivotal in bringing them back,” Bidarian noted.
In fact, among kids aged 6 to 16, many consider Jake Paul the best boxer around. As for his upcoming fight against Tyson on November 15th? Paul expects viewership to hit 25 million, thanks to Netflix streaming without a pay-per-view cost.
At a pre-fight press conference, Paul revealed his earnings: “$40 million and knocking out a legend,” he said confidently. With such colossal figures from just four fights, his next business ideas don’t seem far-fetched at all.
While boxing remains his main focus, Paul dreams of owning an NFL team someday—but not the Cleveland Browns. “The Browns have a curse,” he joked, leaning towards the Kansas City Chiefs instead. Travis Kelce’s Cleveland roots make them appealing to him.
And that’s Jake Paul—a polarizing figure with an unshakeable ambition and a knack for making headlines both in and out of the ring.