Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul has spent the last five years transforming from a viral disruptor to a genuinely dangerous contender. The American pride of Puerto Rico has picked off names like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz on his way up, stacking knockouts, shaking up expectations, and drawing some of the largest audiences the sport has ever seen.

Paul’s leap into the heavyweight ranks last year, with a win over Mike Tyson, was a global spectacle that shattered viewership records with 108 million people tuning in. In June 2025, Paul followed that momentum with a unanimous-decision victory over former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr., a performance that earned him a spot in the WBA cruiserweight rankings at No. 14.