Eddie Hall has never been one to sit quietly when there’s a fight to be had — and now the former World’s Strongest Man has thrown down the gauntlet to Jake Paul after the YouTuber’s much-hyped clash with Gervonta Davis was officially scrapped.
The fight, which was scheduled for 14 November in Miami and set to stream on Netflix, was pulled by Paul’s promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), following a lawsuit filed against Davis by his ex-girlfriend. The complaint accuses the lightweight world champion of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress, BBC News reports.
After reviewing the allegations, MVP confirmed that the bout would “no longer be moving forward”.
“Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” MVP CEO and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement.
Paul, who was due to headline the card, posted his own reaction to the cancellation on X, writing that working with Davis was “an absolute nightmare.”
“I’m so sorry to everyone involved,” he said. “Mostly to the undercard fighters, to my team at MVP and to my team who worked so hard prepping for this fight.”
However, after that rather professional response, Paul shared a statement via his Instagram Story, and blasted Davis with some harsh words, writing: “Gervonta Davis is an actual walking human piece of garbage. Working with him is an absolute nightmare. The unprofessionalism, the bizarre requests, the showing up hours late to shoots. To the numerous arrests and related accusations and lawsuits. If you support this man you support the most vile sin a man can commit.”
“As for me it’s on to the next one as always,” Paul continued. “Anyone. Anytime. Any place.”
The lawsuit against Davis comes amid a turbulent personal record for the 29-year-old. He was previously arrested in February and December 2020 on battery domestic violence charges, and in 2023 served 44 days in jail after violating a house arrest sentence linked to a 2020 hit-and-run case.
The Paul vs Davis fight had generated huge intrigue — a showdown between Davis, the reigning WBA 135-pound champion, and Paul, who last fought as a 200-pound cruiserweight. Now, with the matchup dead in the water, MVP has confirmed plans for Paul to headline a fresh Netflix-only event in 2025 instead.
But Eddie Hall wasn’t about to let the story end there.
Within hours of the news breaking, Hall took to Facebook and made his own pitch directly to the streaming giant: “Send me the contract Netflix I’ll fight him with one hand tied behind my back.”
It didn’t take long for fans to jump into his comments. “If you fight him Eddy it would be the first pay per view, I would actually spend cash on,” one follower wrote. Another added: “I’d actually pay to watch that one! Just don’t fall for the ‘take a dive’ offer.” A third summed it up bluntly: “It would be breakfast For Eddie.”
Hall’s bold challenge lands just as his own fight career continues to snowball. The strongman-turned-fighter is already reportedly training for his upcoming MMA showdown with Dillon Danis — the outspoken American grappler best known for his disqualification against Logan Paul in 2023, which ended in a post-fight brawl.
Hall, who stunned the combat sports world in April 2025 by knocking out fellow strongman legend Mariusz Pudzianowski just 27 seconds into his MMA debut, has been sharing a steady stream of training clips as he prepares for the Danis bout. One 20-second post went viral after he captioned it: “Some say Dillon’s world class jiu-jitsu will be too much for me. Others say he’s never felt a real punch and I’ve got the hardest recorded punch on the planet. FACT.”
The clip — showing Hall firing off a series of surprisingly sharp kicks and punches — split social media right down the middle. Some fans backed Hall’s raw power, others warned that Danis’ elite grappling could expose him on the mat.
“Man… there is no way Danis is going to go toe-to-toe with Eddie,” one user wrote. “He’s going to go for the foot locks right off the bell.”
Another simply declared: “This is silly.. Eddie Hall obliterates Dillon Danis, if he doesn’t gas out within 30 seconds and get put on his a**.”
Others were more tactical: “Whoever Eddie’s trainer is, tell him to train leg lock defence. Eddie’s strong enough to rip a guillotine off and maybe even an [rear naked choke]. If Danis can even get past his neck, the legs will be what they’re going for.”
Hall’s power credentials are impossible to ignore — in 2024 he set a world record for punching force at the UFC Performance Institute — but he’s also been candid about the challenge ahead. Speaking to Bloody Elbow, he said: “Honestly, I just need one good shot on his face, and he’ll regret shaking my hand. I’m not particularly bothered [about the takedown] but I’ll be prepared for the full fight.”
And to TalkSPORT, he admitted: “I know jiu-jitsu – not as good as him – but I’ve got a lot of strength to back it up, and that’s the difference.”
The Hall vs Danis matchup is reportedly being targeted for early 2026, with both men tagging Netflix, Misfits, and other potential partners in their social media posts. A date and venue are still “to be confirmed”, but Hall has already teased promotional graphics and declared: “Coming soon. Some say Dillon’s world class jiu-jitsu would be too much for me… Others say he’s never felt a real punch, and I’ve got the hardest recorded punch on the planet FACT!! Who will win???”
For now, the internet seems just as interested in Hall’s next move as it ever was in Paul’s.
Jake Paul might have lost a fight — but he’s just gained a heavyweight-sized challenge waiting in the wings.
Featured image credit: Instagram/eddiehallwsm/jakepaul
