Markus Perez claims he was never paid for sparring with Jake Paul and accuses him of releasing selective footage of their sessions.
Markus Perez is set to make his boxing debut on April 1 against fellow UFC veteran Joe Riggs at the Gamebred Boxing 4 card in Milwaukee. Interestingly, this won’t be his first experience in the squared circle. Perez, who has never competed as an amateur or professional boxer, was enlisted by Jake Paul to help in his preparation for his 2021 pro boxing match against Ben Askren. Although other MMA fighters were hired at the time, Perez claims he was never paid the promised $300 fee.
Perez, in conversation about the incident, said, “I beat him up in the gym, sparring him for free because this bum never paid me. [$300] is nothing, but he’s a millionaire, making $27 million out there, and can’t pay $300 for a guy just because I kicked his butt in sparring?” He noted that other sparring partners, like future PFL champion Raush Manfio, received payment, but he did not. According to Perez, his session with Paul escalated, with punches thrown and blood drawn, leading to a hostile atmosphere in the gym.
UFC flyweight contender Alexandre Pantoja was present in Perez’s corner, adding fuel to the fire by encouraging his teammate. Despite capturing footage of the sparring session, Paul’s crew never released it. Perez commented, “After some time, he released a video of him knocking out several guys in sparring. He only posts what he wants. That’s dirty. Why won’t you post videos of you getting punched? With your little hands and little legs up in the corner? That’s freaking dirty, man.”
Despite the controversy, Paul went on to win by first-round knockout against Askren, defeated Tyron Woodley in back-to-back fights, and won against Anderson Silva via decision. Following a split decision loss to Tommy Fury, Perez still expects Paul to remain relevant and compete in more high-profile matches in the future. He said, “He’ll know how to market himself and will be back soon to fight some big name, an old man, or a grappler.”