Poker Legend 'Jungleman' to Put Up His Fisticuffs in Sanctioned Fight
Dan "Jungleman" Cates will finally have his opportunity to prove to the poker world he knows how to fight later this month in Southern California.
The online poker prodigy will battle in a sanctioned boxing match Jan. 22 with the new Beverly Hills Fight Club against content creator, poker player, and sports bettor "Elf," who predicts "this will be a bloodbath."
Two Poker Players Going at it in MMA Fight
Cates, a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, has teased fighting other poker players in the past on social media. But the poker world hasn't had an opportunity to see Jungleman fight.
The chance to witness one of poker's biggest stars put up his fisticuffs will happen in a couple weeks in a fight sanctioned by the International Kickboxing Federation. Jungleman and Elf, a poker player who has appeared multiple times on Hustler Casino Live, both claim to have minimal fighting experience. But there doesn't appear to be much confidence within the poker community in Cates.
Poker pro Rob Kuhn said Elf is the "stone lock of the century," Elf, host of "The Elf Show", a sports betting show on X, advised his followers to "bet your house on me" because "there's no way I lose."
The Jungleman versus Elf match is one of five fights on Jan. 22 at the Beverly Hills Fight Club, the first beginning at 8:30 p.m. local time in SoCal. Only those invited by the hosts are permitted to attend.
Cates, a two-time winner of the prestigious WSOP Poker Players Championship (2021 and 2022), won three straight heads-up poker matches against Ossi "Monarch" Ketola for a $15 million profit in August. His next heads-up match won't be for money, but will instead be for pride and to show off his athleticism and fighting technique.
Jungleman isn't the first high-profile poker pro to take on a highly publicized fight. Antonio Esfandiari defeated comedian Kevin Hart in a 2019 boxing match, while Brian Rast beat Sorel Mizzi in a 2015 charity boxing match.
