Conor McGregor’s ex-sparring partner makes stunning prediction for fight between UFC star and Jake Paul

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has thrown another dig at Conor McGregor – by backing Jake Paul to knock him out.

There is no love lost between Malignaggi and McGregor, following their bitter sparring sessions in 2017.

Twitter Pauli Malignaggi sparring Conor McGregor[/caption]

@jakepaulJake Paul in training for his next fight[/caption]

And the former world champion boxer has shown no signs of letting his grudge go in the years since.

It has led him to pick YouTuber-turned prizefighter Paul, 26, beating McGregor, 34, in the ring amid the prospect of a mega-fight.

Malignaggi, 42, told Betway: “I think Jake Paul would knock Conor out.

“Conor is too susceptible to those loopy shots and Jake hits hard enough that only needs to hit you with one or two of them.

“I think Conor has decent sharp shots but I don’t think Conor has the discipline to stay with those little sharp shots for a certain amount of rounds.

“I think he would fall apart because he doesn’t have a lot of heart. Conor has no balls.

“If you take Conor a few rounds he already has this very big discomfort and mistakes naturally create themselves. You don’t even have to create them anymore.

“I think he would do okay for a couple of rounds, but if you didn’t get Jake out in a couple of rounds, I think Jake would knock him out, and he would probably knock on out with a big shot.”

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McGregor sparred Malignaggi twice before his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

But following leaked images and footage of the session, Malignaggi stormed out of the Irishman’s camp.

McGregor would go on to lose to Mayweather in ten rounds and despite teasing a return to the ring it remains his only boxing bout.

And having shared the ring with the ex-UFC champion behind closed doors, Malignaggi claimed he knew the result was inevitable.

He said: “Coming out of that spar I thought this has got to be the biggest money heist in the history of money.

“This guy is so terrible and he’s going to fight Mayweather, probably the best boxer in the history of the sport.

“Even though he’s retired, Mayweather is going to beat this guy with his eyes closed. And that’s basically how it went. He played with them.”

Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017Reuters