Category: Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz responds to Jake Paul’s PFL offer

Posted on by Zane Simon in Boxing, Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, MMA News

One of the biggest combat sports PPVs of the year had nothing to do with championship belts or highly talented boxers. Back in August, former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz took his talents out of the Octagon for the first time in 15 years to take on celebrity pugilist Jake Paul for 10 rounds of professional boxing.

The result was a fairly lackluster affair, marked by heavy opening salvos early in rounds by Paul and late rallies as Paul started to slow from Diaz. By the end, Paul had won a clear and comfortable decision, taking the bout 97-92, 98-91, 98-91 from the three ringside judges. Despite the uncontroversial first result, expectations of a rematch have persisted, with Paul claiming he wants to face Diaz in an MMA bout for the PFL.

“Look, I respect Nate because he’s the people’s champ,” PFL owner Donn Davis said in a recent interview on the MMA Hour. “He’s a man’s man. His standup is all standup. But he said, ‘I’ll do it in the PFL SmartCage’ two minutes to you after the fight. He’s got a standing offer of between 10 and 15 million, and he’s hiding behind a rock.”

Nate Diaz responds to PFL and Jake Paul

If Nate Diaz ever articulated that he was willing to fight Jake Paul in MMA, it doesn’t sound like he’s all that interested at this point.

The Stockton native was notably reticent about the idea of fighting Paul in the PFL in the lead-up to their bout, and has been vocal about his desire to return to the UFC at some point in the near future. In a recent message on his Twitter account, Diaz gave his response to the PFL’s supposed $10-15 million offer. It’s a big ‘no thanks’.

Nate Diaz Tweet in response to PFL contract offer.

Considering how unlikely it feels that Nate Diaz would get a similarly generous offer to make his UFC return—if it’s something he can still even secure at this point—it’s hard to understand on the surface why he’d turn that kind of money down. especially since, in practically the same breath, the 38-year-old Ultimate Fighter winner is still campaigning for a rematch against Paul.

Darren Till on avoiding the PFL

That said, Nate Diaz wouldn’t exactly be the first fighter to pass on a PFL offer for the potential of a UFC return. Derrick Lewis notably spent about two days in free agency, with the potential of a rematch against Francis Ngannou in the PFL staring him in the face, before signing a new 8-fight UFC contract.

In a recent interview, former UFC welterweight title contender Darren Till laid out his own reasons for giving the UFC rival promotion a miss. Despite being exactly the kind of free agent the promotion may be hunting for with upcoming PPV plans looming, Till (like Nate Diaz) left the UFC with the express plan of trying some other combat sports options and then making his return.

“I sort of made a little promise, but not promise,” Till said, speaking of his free agency. “I said ‘I don’t want to go off straight away and do MMA. My heads a little battered and I just sort of want to be released and see what me options are.’ That was eight months ago. I’ve had some crazy offers since I left, by big MMA organizations, and I turned them all down. I’ve been in talks with some of them, but again, I wouldn’t go down that disrespectful route of starting straightaway with the PFL.”

“I feel like I’ve done it the right way. … What’s the point of saying to [UFC Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell], ‘I need some time off to relieve the pressure,’ and then go sign with the PFL or Bellator or ONE or something like that? It just makes no sense.”

Instead, reports have recently surfaced that Till is in talks for some kind of bout (potentially boxing, but unclear) against noted social media influencer Magomed Ismailov at a still to be determined event in Russia. Ismailov has a long history in MMA competing for ProFC and Absolute Championship Akhmat, but recently turned his talents to boxing, where he’s 3-0. In his last bout defeating disgraced former UFC signing Ivan Shtyrkov.

If that fight does go through, it will mark Till’s first bout since a third round submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis in 2022. The Liverpudlian has been remarkably inactive over the past three years, largely due to injury troubles. He has not won an MMA bout since a lackluster split decision over Kelvin Gastelum in 2019.

Nick Diaz vs. Jake or Logan Paul sounds terrible

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, MMA News, UFC News

Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul wasn’t exactly the kind of fight the world had been clamoring for, but there was a certain logic to it. Paul has made a well publicized career out of beating former UFC talent inside the boxing ring, and Diaz has long been a name in the conversation for ‘best boxer in MMA’, even if he’s often had to insert his name there himself.

Nick Diaz on stage at UFC 279.
Nick Diaz on stage at UFC 279. IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

Once Diaz exited the UFC on a PPV headlining victory over Tony Ferguson, it looked like the natural jumping off point to a high profile celebrity boxing bout out in the free agency pugilism market. That said, why not find the same kind of fight for Nate’s brother, Nick Diaz?

There are a bunch of reasons.

Nick Diaz calls for fights with Logan & Jake Paul

At the peak of his abilities, Nick Diaz was a high profile star in his own right. And if we’re not talking career earnings, but simply depth of achievement, Nick was the one to win a notable belt in the cage and defend it. He got huge fights in the UFC with Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, along with bouts against former champs B.J. Penn and Robbie Lawler all well before Nate found his own place as an MMA star.

For years, Nick was considered the far better fighter of the two brothers, and Nate lived firmly in his shadow. However, for all intents and purposes, his career also effectively ended with his loss to Georges St. Pierre, in 2013, at just 31-years-old.

In the time since taking on GSP, Diaz has gone on hiatus, been suspended, seemingly retired, had injuries and made a comeback. What he hasn’t done, is had a fight where he looked particularly competitive or invested in fighting. The last time he stepped in the cage was 2021, against former foe Robbie Lawler, for a rematch 17-years in the making. He looked out of shape, distinctly unmotivated, and tapped to strikes 44-seconds into the third round.

After the bout, Diaz sounded unsure as to why he’d even taken the fight, with suggestions that he’d been pressured into it by questionable management. Nonetheless, this last Saturday, he was in his brother’s corner for the Jake Paul PPV, sounding like he was ready for another comeback.

“I think [Nate] needed a little more work,” Nick Diaz said, on the PPV broadcast (transcript via MMA Fighting). “But let’s cut to the chase, I’m a lot better than both of these guys [Jake & Logan Paul] that are out there. I’d love to entertain the idea of moving on in on whoever they’ve got for me. So if they want to do Round 2 [against Jake], if [Nate] ain’t going to do it, I’ll take it. [Jake’s] got an older brother too, so don’t forget about the one and only.”

“Of course [it motivates me],” Diaz added. “That’s why I try to stay away from the fight game in general, because I’m all the way in. It’s all or nothing. I’m never one foot in, one foot out. But me coming here today, I just feel that I have a little bit of an opportunity to open up a little bit of a window. If that’s what it is, then just let it be known: I’m still motivated as ever, and I’m a harder worker and better fighter than anybody that’s out here in this right now in this day and age.”

Even putting aside the work it didn’t look like Diaz had done to prep for his last bout—he and his coach later claimed he had ruptured discs in his neck (which is terribly concerning in and of itself)—there’s a bigger reason Diaz calling for a fight with the Paul brothers has no sizzle to it.

Isn’t Nick Diaz still a UFC fighter?

By all appearances, Nick Diaz is still under contract with the UFC. Going back to March, and Diaz was already suggesting he might be looking to fight again, not in boxing, or over in the PFL, but right back inside the Octagon. As always, Diaz was setting his targets nice and high.

“I’m asking to fight as soon as possible. Not (against) Jon Jones, though,” Diaz told Inside Fighting, adding that he was “fine” with the idea of Israel Adesanya or Alex Pereira. “I always want to fight the best.”

Speaking to MMA Fighting back in December of last year, however, Jake Shields revealed that Diaz was still rehabbing his injured neck, after undergoing surgery to have titanium disks inserted. From what the fellow former Strikeforce champ outlined, NIck wouldn’t be cleared to go back to hard training until at least September. After that, the UFC had some fight ideas already waiting apparently.

“It’s like we’re getting the old Nick back, which is really good,” Shields enthused. “So, now that that’s happened, we’re waiting for the doctors. He’s got another appointment I think [in September]. And then he should be cleared to start his hard training again. Because right now he can only run and hit the pads and everything. But he definitely wants to fight. And the UFC, I’ve been in contact with them, they just actually called me the other day asking about Nick, and there’s some pretty cool fight options that are in front of us.”

At 40 years old, and with a decade of hard fighting already under his belt (plus another decade of training and partying), it’s hard to imagine any really good fights out there for Diaz. But, whatever they might be, they’re almost certainly going to be inside the UFC Octagon. Nobody needs to see 40-year-old Nick Diaz lose a celebrity boxing match.

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Jake Paul and Nate Diaz explain mediocre PPV bout

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, MMA News

By the end of Saturday night Jake Paul and Nate Diaz had spent 10 rounds in the ring together and didn’t prove a whole hell of a lot. Paul dropped Diaz at one point, and started the majority of the rounds looking much stronger and cleaner with his boxing technique. Nate, however, had a habit of rallying late in rounds, as Paul started to slow—and spent a lot of the fight clowning around.

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz square off. IMAGO/Icon
Jake Paul and Nate Diaz square off. IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

Eventually, there was lots of clinching, and a few really solid exchanges, but the rounds had a very consistent, same-y feel. When it was all over, both men seemed more interested in how they could run it back in MMA rather than resting on the strength of this fight. As to why that was? No surprise that the excuses are already starting to flow.

Nate Diaz had an injured shoulder

For Diaz, the need for excuses is far clearer. A lifelong martial artist and longtime practicing pugilist, many fans were expecting to see Stockton’s own show up the former ‘Disney Kid’ turned celebrity boxer. He did not.

There was no shortage of confidence and no shortage of durability, but the boxing form largely wasn’t there—with Diaz doing his best work in prolonged grimy inside exchanges when Paul’s energy was clearly flagging. To hear him tell it, the 38-year-old had intended to have a more nuanced, range game, but a shoulder injury prevented him from pulling it off.

“[Coach] Richard [Perez] got mad at me because I wasn’t training how I should have been training,” Diaz explained at the post-fight presser (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I should have been throwing punches, keeping him on the outside and doing a lot of stuff.

“Like I said in an interview, I’m not trying to make excuses, but about a month back I was trying to stay big and I hurt my arm a little bit. Wear and tear on my right arm if I was jabbing or doing a lot of stuff, so I would get inside and fight like a Mexican guy. Smother their punches and get in there and make every sparring session a brawl and did that in camp, and that’s how the fight went.

“I think I should have kept on the outside, circled, and did better stuff. I know I pissed Rich off, he don’t want me to say it but he wanted me to keep it on the outside and I should have. But it’s all good. There’s no way I’m not going to show up for a fight because of something like that. You’ve got to go regardless, no matter what. So I plan on doing my next one, if it’s gonna be boxing, we’re going to work like a small guy not a big guy.”

Diaz also complained of the difficulty in training with the added weight he’d packed on for the fight, noting that Paul wasn’t nearly as big as he had expected him to be in the ring. “I would have liked to have stayed smaller,” he added. “If I went up to this weight, I would like to have trained like I do when I’m smaller.”

Excuses aside, Diaz should be commended for looking a lot better than expected in his first boxing bout either as a professional or an amateur. He may have spent years sparring with high level pros, but there’s a world of difference between practicing something and doing it for real. His cardio looked great, and he looked comfortable inside the ring. The fight definitely could have gone worse. Plus an 8-figure payday probably goes a long way to soothing the sting of defeat.

Jake Paul didn’t knock Diaz out

Speaking of which, the major narrative for Jake Paul going into his fight with Nate Diaz was that he was going to knock the former UFC title contender out; finish him the way Conor McGregor couldn’t—put him out cold on the canvas the way no one ever had before (not even Josh Thomson with his brutal TKO). He hurt Diaz at one point, and he caught the Cesar Gracie black belt clean plenty of times, but he never truly came close to ending the fight.

Why not? Paul says he was too smart. He’s just satisfied he felt like he got Diaz’s respect.

“My motor was running hot and I was punching him hard and hard and hard, and he wasn’t going down,” Paul told the assembled media (transcript via MMA Fighting). “He was standing there. So I didn’t want to burn out and let him catch a win and come back with something.

“So I was being patient, being smart, and was looking for the kill. But at the end of the day, he withstood a bunch of big, big, big punches.”

“I don’t know how he survived the first round, but he’s a dog and I walked the dog,” Paul added. “For sure [he felt my power], I could see it the whole fight. In the first round, I seen his eyes light up and he was like, ‘OK, they talk about this kid’s power, but when you feel it, it’s different.’”

Paul is now adamant that he wants to fight Diaz in an MMA bout, even offering Diaz as much as a $10 million payday to make the bout happen. The longtime UFC veteran seemed unenthused by the idea in the build up to the boxing match, and has made it clear that one of his biggest future goals is a return to the Octagon. But it’s hard to imagine the former Ultimate Fighter winner finding that kind of payday with the world’s largest MMA promotion.

“Let’s do it,” Diaz replied to Paul’s offer inside the ring after the fight (transcript via The Mirror). “We’re going to have to co-promote with Real Fight Inc. He’s big and he’s tough, I wish I could have done better things but some s—t, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. I should have trained better and done better things but it’s all good. He won this one but I’ll fight anyone, I don’t give a f—k.”

May just be that we’ll actually see Jake Paul with a pair of 4oz gloves on sometime in the next year. And Nate Diaz fighting MMA outside of the UFC for the first time since 2006.

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Paul vs Diaz: Nate Diaz teammate tries Cormier’s towel trick, misses weight

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

This weekend’s big celebrity boxing PPV between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul is all set to go ahead, with both men hitting the 185-pound cruiserweight limit—even if Paul looked a little unsteady on the scales in the process. Further down on the undercard, however, one of Diaz’s longtime teammates had some more pronounced struggles hitting his marks.

Chris Avila had a shortlived UFC stint back in 2016, brought into the promotion as part of the Diaz vs. McGregor fanfare to create a camp vs. camp clash with Artem Lobov. A loss to Enrique Barzola later that year resulted in his release from the promotion. After several years of bouncing around other MMA promotions, Avila eventually landed on the celebrity boxing circuit where he’s enjoyed some surprising success.

Chris Avila at the Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul weigh ins.
Chris Avila at the Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul weigh ins.

Nate Diaz teammate Chris Avila misses weight

Avila actually made his pro boxing debut all the way back in 2014, dropping a unanimous decision to the 0-4-1 Vicente Guzman. Years later he made his comeback, on the undercard of Jake Paul’s second PPV boxing bout against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, beating former Bellator competitor (and onetime Dillon Danis parking lot opponent) Anthony Taylor. Avila won that bout, and a followup fight with ‘Sexiest Doctor Alive’ Mikhail Varshavski on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard.

Most recently, Avila was seen on the prelims of MF & DAZN X Series 6, the notorious New Orleans event where Nate Diaz choked out a Jake Paul lookalike. The Stockton Native defeated Paul Bamba on the undercard, while getting heckled by celebrity boxer Chase Demoor. That touched off a scuffle with Diaz that later reignited into the street fight that saw Diaz and internet personality Rodney Peterson meet for Peterson’s 15 minutes of getting dropped on the concrete fame.

All of which has led to Avila’s spot on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz undercard, where he’s set to take on longtime former UFC action fighter Jeremy Stephens. A great spot for Avila to shine against someone with a few more legitimate skills than the low-level bozos he’s been trading blows with. Unfortunately for him, he’s already fouled it up, missing weight by more than two pounds for his contracted Super Middleweight bout.

In hopes of keeping everything on track, however, Avila tried a classic trick from his MMA days, taking a page out of Daniel Cormier’s book with his hands on the towel. It didn’t work.

Fortunately for Avila, Ariel Helwani reports that the fight will still go forward. Avila and Stephens have come to a new, undisclosed agreement for the bout on tomorrow’s PPV card.

Amanda Serrano comes in 4 pounds under, gets new scale

One odd point of weigh in drama from the event came from co-main fighter and undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano. Serrano is set to defend her belts in a rematch against form title holder and brief Bellator talent Heather Hardy. But, when Serrano first stepped on the scales, she was surprisingly under-weight.

Wild that a scale could be that far off proper calibration. That wasn’t the only moment of drama around the fight either, with Hardy looking clearly surprised that she ended up on championship weight for her own trip to the scales.

Serrano recently made headlines with the news that she’s signed with the PFL to compete in MMA as part of the promotion’s PPV ‘Superfight’ division. Serrano has competed in MMA before, making her debut back in 2018 with a draw against Corina Herrera. She followed that fight with two victories, her last a guillotine submission win at iKON Fighting Federation 7 back in 2021.

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Nate Diaz has vision of Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, UFC News

Former UFC title contender Nate Diaz has found himself in a unique position. Still seemingly near the height of his star power, Diaz was able to walk away from his UFC contract off a high profile win over former interim champion Tony Ferguson last year. A victory that sent him into free agency on a high note, and straight into the arms of celebrity boxing’s biggest star, Jake Paul.

Paul has made his name in pugilism taking on yesterdays UFC headliners, with victories over Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and even Anderson Silva. This coming August, Diaz will look to change the narrative by becoming the first debuting boxer to beat the social media star and former Disney actor.

Conor McGregor at the now infamous Miami Heat game 4 of the NBA Finals. Nate Diaz.
Conor McGregor at the now infamous Miami Heat game 4 of the NBA Finals. IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

Nate Diaz sees no reason why Conor McGregor wouldn’t fight Jake Paul

One of the men clearly on Paul’s potential crossover hit list has been none other than combat sports superstar Conor McGregor. The ‘Notorious’ Irishman already tested his mettle in the ring back in 2017, losing via 10th round TKO to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, in what would become the final pro bout of Mayweather’s storied championship career.

In the buildup to Paul’s fight against Nate Diaz, the ‘Problem Child’ has used his bout against Stockton’s own as a chance to take a few shots at McGregor.

“Guess what Conor? I’ll beat the f—king f—k out of you,” Paul said on a recent episode of the Imapulsive podcast (transcript via the Mirror). “You can’t box as good as me and I’m going to do to Nate what you couldn’t, and that’s knock him the f—k out.”

Diaz may have a bone to pick with his upcoming opponent over Paul’s fight prediction, or perhaps even of Paul’s chances of beating McGregor, but on a recent episode of the Raw Talk podcast, Diaz did say he felt like a fight between Paul and McGregor would be all but inevitable if the SBG talent ever leaves the UFC.

“If he was free, I’m sure he would fight him,” Diaz explained. “Why would you not? He’s f—king talking a lot of s—t. There’s f—king criteria and that motherf—ker meets it, a lot of people do but a lot of people don’t also, and those people you fight in the bathroom.”

Jake Paul in serious preparation for Diaz

The longer McGregor waits for a fight with Paul, however, it seems like the more dangerous that fight may become. Jake Paul may still not be a good boxer, but he’s clearly come a long long way since making his debut back in a 2018 exhibition against Deji Olatunji.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Paul gave fans a behind the scenes look at his extensive 3-a-day workout regimen that he’s put in place to get ready for his fight with Nate Diaz.

All things considered, it may just be that Diaz becomes the latest former UFC fighter to fail to defeat Paul in the boxing ring. And if that happens, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Conor McGregor doesn’t follow shortly after. At least, assuming that McGregor’s long term future doesn’t remain entirely wrapped up in the world’s largest MMA promotion.

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Nate Diaz will ‘get embarrassed’ says Jake Paul

Posted on by Zane Simon in Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

Jake Paul has been a professional boxer for three years now. A fact that’s both surprising for the longevity of what once seemed a poorly conceived series of publicity stunts, but also because Paul has somehow managed not to wear out his welcome.

Despite a steady stream of mediocre performances, Paul has kept himself front and center for his ability to thrive in the ecosystem of petty drama that often comes with the combat sports world. Sure, people get more excited when a boxer has the technical skills to pay the bills, but much of the battle in getting people to show up for fight night is done outside the ring. That’s the arena where Paul really excels; selling the dream that his next booking is going to be a really good one.

Jake Paul is a note taking “lion”

Part of what made Paul such an interesting gimmick was his status as an unbeaten fighter. A social media star and brief Disney actor with a predilection for prank-based/meme content, many combat sports fans showed up for early Paul bouts just hoping to see him get humiliated. The fact that he was able to pick up victories over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and even UFC legend Anderson Silva kept the tension high.

Who would be the one to beat this unserious celebrity?

Turns out the answer was a guy with actual boxing experience, step-brother to the heavyweight champion—and Love Island reality TV star—Tommy Fury. Despite landing a knockdown on Fury in the last round of their February fight, Paul dropped a split decision. With his “0” officially removed, the 26-year-old has changed up his rhetoric, and is now leaning into the comeback narrative ahead of his next fight. A return to battling yesterday’s MMA stars. This time against former UFC lightweight title contender Nate Diaz.

“I have the biggest chip on my shoulder, the biggest chip on both shoulders, coming back with a vengeance, refilled with that hunger that I had in the beginning of the sport to prove to people what I was capable of,” Paul told said in a recent interview with TMZ Sports (transcript via MMA Fighting). “The lion lost, I retreated back into the jungle, I took notes of everything, I got better, I trained, and now this lion is going to come out and maul this dude.

“He’s going to have to pay for all this hard work, all the sacrifice I’ve made during this camp. I promise, I’m going to be the first person to stop him on Aug. 5. 100 percent, he’s going to sleep.”

Funny enough, Nate Diaz has been TKO’d, injury TKO’d, and submitted before. Likely Paul just means he’ll be the first one to knock Diaz out cold.

Is Nate Diaz training hard?

Whether or not Paul is putting in the work, it has to be wondered if Diaz is truly ready for his boxing debut. The Stockton native has made a lot out of his many years of high level sparring and boxing training as part of his life as a martial artist, but recent footage that dropped from one of Diaz’s sessions in the gym didn’t exactly make the 38-year-old look like a secret pugilistic star in the making.

Against an opponent that was described as “bad” and having “never fought,” Diaz didn’t look out-matched or out-classed, but it wasn’t very dynamic stuff from the Cesar Gracie black belt.

And as far as Paul’s concerned, if that’s all that Diaz is bringing to the table, he’s not going to be ready for the major step up in competition that the ‘Problem Child’ believes he can provide.

“I’m going to let my actions do the talking,” Paul continued in his TMZ interview. “When he gets in there with me, and he sees my speed, my power, my skill, and he can’t hit me, that is going to frustrate him. In that moment he’ll know that he f—ed up, and he’s about to get embarrassed, and there’s a difference between a UFC champion and a boxer, a very skilled boxer in myself. My fists are going to do all the talking.”

Would Jake Paul fight Nate Diaz in MMA though?

For all Paul’s talk about the difference between a “UFC champion” (which Nate never was), and a “very skilled boxer” (which is generous to say the least), would he be so cocksure if the tables were turned and he was fighting MMA instead of the ‘sweet science’. Paul maintains that he’s more than willing to find out, and that there’s a very generous offer on the table from the PFL if Diaz wants to run it back.

For his part, Diaz hasn’t shown any interest in either an MMA fight against Paul or a PFL deal. His goals seem entirely to be in the boxing ring, with the potential, after that, of making a return to the Octagon.

“That’s an option, the UFC,” Diaz said of his future during a press conference for his boxing bout with Paul. I would like to [return to UFC]. At the end of the day, I’d like to go back and fight for a world title. If not, I’m going to have make my own world title and make the best come to me. I would like to be back in the UFC or fight the belt holders in boxing, also.

“Right now, UFC has the best fighters in the world and have for years. I’m trying to fight the best.”

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Nate Diaz sparring video; ex-UFC star doesn’t look better than Jake Paul

Posted on by Zane Simon in Boxing, Celebrity Boxing, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

Former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz is getting set for one of the biggest fights of his career. No, not a third fight with Conor McGregor. Nor is it another shot at UFC gold. Instead the Stockton’s own is on his way to a PPV bout against celebrity pugilist Jake Paul.

The match seems sure to get fans talking and draw eyes on the night. Diaz has been a premium B-side attraction for years inside the Octagon, and the ‘Problem Child’ has proven that while he may not be a highly skilled boxer, he knows how to sell the sizzle. When he fights, people watch.

‘Leaked’ Nate Diaz sparring footage hits web

If we know people are going to splash out to watch this spectacle, perhaps the bigger question worth asking is, ‘Will it be any good?’ Paul’s past bouts, mostly against other washed-up former UFC talents, have tended to be more on the level of undercard filler fans might see at any random boxing event. However, still just 38-years-old (and with a long history of sparring high level pro boxers), Diaz shouldn’t be quite so washed or out of his element as guys like Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren proved to be.

That doesn’t mean he’s anything like a seasoned pro. Footage of Diaz boxing an unknown sparring partner recently hit the internet and while Diaz doesn’t look awful, it also doesn’t look like he’s getting much pushback either. Paul may not be a world beater, but he’s proven he can land his own shots with some serious power.

“Nate Diaz is wearing white,” The person recording the video explains. “The athlete in the black shirt is bad, he has never fought. Not as an amateur or as a professional.”

Several outlets have misreported that the man Diaz is sparring is Esquiva Falcao, since Diaz recently trained with the Brazilian, but it’s much more likely that Falcao is the man recording the video. It seems unlikely that a boxer of Falcao’s stature would be so willing to let Diaz walk him down with his guard down, or be so defensively lax when Diaz is letting his own strikes go.

Jake Paul’s notorious sparring session

Jake Paul has had his own noted sparring session leaks ahead of his past fights. Most notably, Haseem Rahman Jr. uploaded some clips of his sparring with Paul after the two were set to face off against one another in the ring. The fight ended up getting scrapped after Rahman made several attempts to move the weight limit up from 200 lbs to 215.

Rahman notably went after Paul later in the build up to their aborted bout for that moment in the second clip where Paul turns his back and jogs to reset away from the ropes.

“When I backed you in a corner, why did you turn your back and run? Why’d you turn around and run? Who runs in a boxing ring? You ran like you were at track.

“He’s a runner he’s a track star!” Rahman prodded, singing to Paul.

“Why you running in a boxing ring? Do you know how to box? Have you learned that yet? Have you learned that you can’t run yet? Have you learned that much yet, that you can’t be running in the ring? Did you learn that yet? It’s only been 18 months.”

Amanda Serrano to co-main against former Bellator attraction

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is set to go down on August 5th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The bout will mark Paul’s return from his first professional defeat, against Tommy Fury—younger half-brother to heavyweight champion Tyson Fury—back in February.

For Diaz, not only will his bout against Jake Paul mark his professional boxing debut, but it will also mark his first fight of any sort outside the UFC Octagon since losing to Hermes Franca at WEC 24 back in 2006. Most recently, Diaz defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, after a planned fight against Khamzat Chimaev fell through on weigh-in day, forcing the UFC to almost entirely reshuffle their PPV main card.

Alongside the cruiserweight (200 lb) main event between Diaz and Paul, the DAZN PPV card is set to be co-mained by undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano in the second defense of her unified belts. Serrano has become something of a cause celebre for Paul after signing to his MVP Boxing promotion, regularly appearing as a featured attraction on his PPV cards.

Serrano is set to take on former WBO featherweight champ and brief Bellator sensation Heather Hardy. Hardy and Serrano have fought once already, back in 2019, with Serrano winning a 10-round unanimous decision and nabbing Hardy’s title belt in the process. Now 41-years-old, this fight will mark the first time Hardy has competed in either the cage or the ring since a 2021 boxing loss to Jessica Camara.

‘You gonna act like that wasn’t Logan?’ – Nate Diaz talks street fight with Paul impersonator

Posted on by Zane Simon in Boxing, Celebrity Boxing, Crime, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

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Jake Paul and Nate Diaz sat down for their first press conference for their upcoming August PPV boxing match. The social media star and former Disney kid will be looking to rebound from the first loss of his professional career, following a split decision defeat to Tommy Fury back in February.

To accomplish that task, Paul has gone back to familiar grounds, taking on another former UFC attraction in the twilight of his career. This time around it’s the younger half of Stockton’s best known pugilistic export, the Diaz bros. Nate Diaz is fresh out from under the control of the UFC, fighting as a free agent for the first time since 2006. It seems, however, that being left to his own devices has made him a lightning rod for trouble.

Nate Diaz charged with battery

Recently Diaz was in New Orleans in support of longtime training partner Chris Avila, at the MF & DAZN X Series 6 boxing event at the XULA Convocation Center. A card filled with reality stars and social media influencers (and light on trained boxers), the night was a hotbed for controversy.

At one point during Avila’s fight, Diaz took exception to something said by DQ’d undercard fighter Chase DeMoor, chucking a water bottle at the man as he stood ringside. Later on that evening, he clashed with DeMoor entourage member—and Logan Paul lookalike—Rodney Peterson in the midst of a massive, bar-clearing street fight. Diaz choked Peterson unconscious in a viral video incident, one that quickly led to a warrant for his arrest.

During the first media presser for their PPV bout, Jake Paul took the chance to ask Diaz about his clash with the man who wasn’t Logan Paul.

“Did you think it was Logan Paul when they were all on the street there?” Jake questioned, during a lull in the press conference. “Just definitely, in a flash, you thought he was Logan.”

“You gonna act like that wasn’t Logan?” Diaz replied. “Why’d he run in my grill?”

“You thought he was Logan?” Paul asked again.

“It is Logan. What are you talking about,” Diaz joked. “You guys saw what happened to Logan! Where is Logan? Is he here? Shout out to Logan! He’ll be alright.

“Hey, you don’t just hit people, out there,” Diaz continued. “That’s f-cking dangerous, you know what I’m saying? Give ’em a little nap.”

“I think you kneed him,” Paul replied

“That’s nice too. Slowed it down a little bit.”

Diaz turned himself over to authorities in Louisiana shortly after the felony warrant was issued, and was released soon afterward on a $10,000 bond. Following the release of footage from the incident, Diaz’s agent put out a statement to the media claiming that the fighter acted in self defense.

“Nate’s attorney looks forward to presenting all of the facts about this incident to the District Attorney which clearly demonstrate that a trained fighter named Rodney Petersen aggressively pursued Nate with the intention of engaging him and once doing so, Nate acted entirely in self-defense. No further comment will be made at this time.”

If team Diaz has been tight lipped about making more public statements, however, it certainly doesn’t seem like Nate got that message.

Diaz vs. Paul fight card

Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul is set to take place at the American Airlines center in Dallas, TX. As of yet, only one other fight has been announced for the card, a women’s featherweight bout between undisputed champion Amanda Serrano and title challenger Heather Hardy. Serrano is a key fighter for Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions boxing outfit, and has appeared in the co-main spot for both of Paul’s bouts against Tyron Woodley.

Serrano and Hardy are, in fact, familiar foes, having faced off back in 2019. There Serrano defeated Hardy via unanimous decision to claim the WBO featherweight title. Hardy has only competed once since that loss, a 2021 defeat to Jessica Camara.