Jake Paul teased his plans to fight Nate Diaz sometime in the summer pending an official agreement after his next outing.
Former UFC superstar Nate Diaz has been out of action since taking on fellow fan favorite Tony Ferguson in the headlining bout of UFC 279 last September. He was initially lined up to compete with top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev but got his opponents shuffled after ‘Borz’ missed weight. The Stockton native powered through a competitive bout with Ferguson and managed to dispatch him in the fourth round by submission.
The contest marked the last fight on his deal with the UFC, following which, he chose not to sign a new deal to explore free agency.
Jake Paul teases plans to fight Nate Diaz
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Jake Paul shared a promising update on his quest to book a fight with Diaz.
“I think they’re ready,” said Paul. “I’m getting through Sunday and we’re going to line that one up ASAP. I think that’s next. That’s what the fans want and that’s who I want. There’s been a lot of talk, back and forth, and we’ve said our stuff but it’s time to get down to business.”
Paul and Diaz have traded verbal jabs in the past. Diaz called out Paul’s father for being fake and disrespecting him last month. After signing with the PFL, Paul offered Diaz a two-fight contract earlier this year. He’s targeting a showdownn with Diaz both inside the cage and in the boxing ring.
Paul is aiming to fight Diaz in the summer
‘The Problem Child’ further explained his focus to compete with Diaz in the summer later this year. He also talked about the need to solidify the nature of their agreement.
“I guess probably like mid year, maybe sometime summer. I want to do the one fight boxing and one fight MMA but I’m not sure if Nate’s team is fully aligned on that yet or I don’t know if they realize how serious I am about that. I think they thought I was just doing it for hype.”
Jake Paul says he wants to fight Nate Diaz this summer 👀 #TheMMAHour
"There’s been a lot of talk back and forth, we’ve said our stuff, but it’s time to get down to business."
▶️ https://t.co/01oIBla6DT pic.twitter.com/zItDo3eCq0
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 22, 2023
Before Paul targets Diaz, he will need to get past Tommy Fury this Sunday, Feb. 26 in a match billed as ‘The Truth’ in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
