A long rumored boxing match between former UFC star Nate Diaz and Jake Paul has been announced for August 5th in Dallas, Texas.
When Diaz made it clear he was going to leave the UFC following the end of his deal it was widely believed that the main reason for that was to free him up to securing a money-spinning fight with Paul in the boxing ring.
At the time Paul was still undefeated, having previously beaten other well known UFC fighters like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in the ring, but he has since suffered a decision loss to Tommy Fury in January.
Nonetheless, a fight between Paul and Diaz is still likely to generate a lot of pre-fight interest, particularly due to the clash of personalities between the two stars.
“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations,” Paul said in a statement. “Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.”
Diaz also issued a statement welcoming the fight, while also revealing that he plans to return to the UFC afterwards.
“Besides Canelo he’s the biggest thang in boxing,” Diaz said. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the King of combat sports and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts.”
Of course those in the MMA world will know that may be easier said than done for the 37-year-old, who lost three of his last five fights in the Octagon against Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards, though he did exit the promotion off a submission win against fellow veteran Tony Ferguson.
Still, there’s been plenty of words fired back and forth between Diaz and Paul over the years, with Diaz even having slapped his rival when they crossed paths last year, so now they’ll get the chance to settle their differences the old-fashioned way.
“I haven’t forgotten about the slap backstage in Arizona, and on August 5th, a Problem Child is going to piece up and knock out the Stockton G,” Paul said.
