UFC analyst forced to 'give props' to Jake Paul for facing Joshua

Jake Paul is getting his respect from the combat sports community ahead of his boxing match against Anthony Joshua.

After years of criticism about hand-picking opponents and putting himself in overly advantageous situations, the pendulum has now swung on the former Disney star and YouTuber as he finds himself as a massive underdog to two-time undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Joshua.

The pair will meet in an eight-round bout Dec. 19 from Kaseya Center in Miami (Netflix), and those who have questioned Paul in the past are now giving him respect. "The Ultimate Fighter 15' winner, UFC welterweight and analyst Michael Chiesa is one of those people.

"I didn't believe it when I first heard the rumblings," Chiesa told MMA Junkie. "I have to give props to Jake Paul. You're taking a huge step up in competition. A very significantly large jump up in competition, and there is no mutual agreement between them that's like, 'Take it easy on me.' No, Jake Paul's there to win. He believes he can beat Anthony Joshua. This might be too much too soon, but either way.

"You can say what you want about Jake Paul. He's not my acquired taste. I can't say I'm a fan. But to go from Gervonta Davis literally up to Anthony Joshua. You went from punching down to punching up. Literally and figuratively you are punching up now."

Chiesa, like many, isn't giving Paul much of a chance to upset Joshua. Especially after seeing the massive size difference as the first faceoff from Friday's press conference. Anything can happen in a combat sports environment, but this one is tough to fathom.

"I don't think it's going to go his way," Chiesa said. "But either way, I have to give him credit to seek out that kind of matchup. Jake Paul, I give you my props."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst forced to 'give props' to Jake Paul for facing Joshua