YouTube star Jake Paul to face former UFC fighter Ben Askren in April boxing match

Jake Paul, the YouTube star turned boxer, has his next match lined up.

The controversial internet personality will face former UFC fighter Ben Askren on April 17, according to ESPN.

Paul only has two fights under his belt, but he is already causing a stir in the boxing world. The 24-year-old, who entered the fighting scene in January of 2020, first propelled to fame on YouTube, where he has amassed more than 20 million subscribers who are drawn to his prank videos.

In December, Paul told ESPN that his ultimate goal is to take on Connor McGregor, a former UFC double champion.

“I am dedicating my life to beating Conor McGregor,” Paul said. “Financially, it already makes sense. Financially, I’m already one of the biggest prizefighters and there’s only a couple more bosses to check off and to beat and to conquer.”

But first, Paul aims to get more wins under his belt. He will take on Askren in an eight-round pro boxing match at a location that is yet to be announced, according to ESPN.

This will be Askren’s first professional boxing match of his career. He was an MMA fighter until 2019 and is currently listed as retired, according to UFC.

“I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter,” Askren told ESPN. “I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like. Jake has led a privileged life and doesn’t really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I’m going to put his dreams to an end.”

The event will be held by Triller, a video-making and social-networking app. This will be the second time the platform has hosted a fight.