Nate Diaz doesn’t like the idea of being part of combat sports’ infamous Drake curse.
On Saturday night, the ‘Stockton Samurai’ made his highly anticipated pro boxing debut inside Dallas’ American Airlines Center. Diaz and his opponent, Jake Paul, delivered an entertaining affair for 10 rounds that ultimately saw ‘The Problem Child’ walk away with his seventh career victory in the squared circle.
Ahead of their showdown in the Lone Star State, Canadian hip-hop artist Drake dropped $250,000 on Nate Diaz, a bet that had many of the ex-UFC stars’ fans cringing thanks to the notorious Drake curse.
Dropping big money on various UFC bouts, Drake is known to lose a lot more money than he makes whilst gambling on the fight game. That translated to the world of boxing as the former Degrassi star saw a quarter of a million dollars slip away as Nate Diaz failed to muster enough offense to make his bout with Jake Paul truly competitive.
Speaking at the post-fight press event, a member of the media asked Diaz how he felt about Drake losing six figures while betting on him. Diaz appreciated the vote of confidence and then immediately called for someone to go out there and break the curse.
“Yeah, whatever. Shoutout to Drake. Love for the love. I appreciate it,” Diaz said. “And you know what I’m sayin’. What the f*ck, aye, someone break that curse. What’s happening? F*ck a curse.”
Nate Diaz reacts ro Drake losing $250K due to Jake Paul loss pic.twitter.com/lGYCoOirWi
— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) August 6, 2023
Will Jake Paul and Nate Diaz Run It Back in MMA?
Perhaps Drake will have a shot at winning his money back should a rematch between Diaz and Paul materialize inside the PFL Smart Cage.
Following Paul’s victory, the social media star doubled down on a $10 million offer to run it back in MMA. Diaz, who had been non-committal regarding the offer in previous interviews, seemingly accepted the deal on Saturday night, so long as the bout is co-promoted with Diaz’s own organization, Real Fight Inc.
If Diaz signs on the dotted line, the bout would likely go down on pay-per-view under the Professional Fighters League banner. Paul signed with the promotion earlier this year with the goal of making his mixed martial arts debut in early 2024, presumably on the same night that another blockbuster PFL signee, Francis Ngannou, will make his own promotional premiere.
