Michael Bisping thinks losing to Jake Paul was a big wake-up call for Nate Diaz.
After offering up a lackluster performance against ‘The Problem Child’ last summer, Diaz bounced back with a strong showing against Jorge Masvidal in the pair’s long-awaited rematch on Saturday night in Anaheim. After 10 rounds of entertaining action, the ‘Stockton Samurai’ was awarded the win via majority decision.
Sharing his take on Diaz’s performance, the UFC Hall of Famer believes we saw a significantly improved version of the TUF alumnus who looked in shape and motivated to get his hand raised after a lackluster showing in his boxing debut.
“This was a different Nate Diaz,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “When you look at Nate Diaz and the way that he performed against Jake Paul, I thought it was going to be a bad night for Nate Diaz. But I was wrong. He came in motivated, in shape, and super aggressive from the very get-go.”
“I think Masvidal landed the cleaner shots, the more powerful shots, but Nate Diaz was in his face the whole time. However, because of the output, because of the non-stop throwing, and the aggression shown by Diaz, it certainly looked to me without seeing the compu-stats that Diaz was probably just ahead in a very, very, close fight.”
Michael Bisping Thinks Nate Diaz Has ‘A Lot of Options’ Following His Win over ‘Gamebred’
However, it wasn’t all good news for Nate Diaz. Immediately following the decision, fans and pundits took to social media suggesting that ‘Gamebred’ had been robbed—a sentiment Masvidal echoed in his post-fight interview when he called for a trilogy fight between the two.
Still, a win is a win and Bisping believes a win over his former BMF rival—controversial or not—will open a lot of doors for the Stockton native should he choose to continue his run in the world of boxing.
“I thought he had kind of dropped off against Jake Paul because it was a little bit embarrassing,” Bisping said. “It showed Nate Diaz is still a force. He’s still got to be respected, and he’s a man that now has a lot of options.”
“The Diaz that showed up against Jake Paul was not the Diaz that showed up for Jorge Masvidal. It just wasn’t the same guy. I think that (the loss to Paul) taught Diaz a lesson. I think that was a wake-up call.”
Watch the full video below:
