Oleksandr Usyk has taken a break from training to lobby for one of his sparring partners.
Boxing’s three-belt heavyweight world champion will bid to become undisputed for the second time when he takes on IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on July 19.
In the build-up, he’s been training with former two-time Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov.
The 28-1 Ukrainian welterweight is currently a free agent hoping to sign with MMA’s premier league.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty ImagesOleksandr Usyk tells Dana White to sign his teammate
Usyk led fan reaction to Amosov returning to competition with a first-round submission win at Cage Fury FC 140 in March.
Now the boxing superstar has tried to use his pull to bag ‘Dynamo’ a deal from UFC CEO Dana White.
“This is future world champion, UFC, ” Usyk said in a video shared to Instagram on Friday.
“Dana, please, send contract, bro. I’m serious.”
Usyk tagged White in the caption, which read: “Sparring with the future of the UFC. Good work, champ
@s_amoskin @danawhite.”
Jake Paul eyes Oleksandr Usyk in MMA
Earlier this year, Usyk flirted with the MMA world by calling for a crossover fight with Alex Pereira.
A member of his team subsequently suggested Usyk would be willing to face Jake Paul in MMA.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer says that is a fight he’ll look at after he clashes with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28.
“That’s something I’m super, super interested in, and I think it would be a very, very big spectacle,” Paul said when asked if he plans to debut in MMA last month.
“Nate Diaz is still ducking, but we would need to find the right opponent. [Oleksandr] Usyk, maybe.”
Paul’s business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, jumped in to explain why an MMA fight with boxing’s best heavyweight is a real possibility.
“Usyk has called out Jake multiple times in MMA,” he said. “They’ve been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they wanna do that fight in 2026. So it’s something that we definitely want to pursue.”
Paul added: “I haven’t started any MMA training, so it would definitely be interesting.
“We are looking at 2026 for that as a possibility.”