Brendan Schaub believes Jake Paul could struggle against Nate Diaz in their upcoming boxing match.
On August 5, ‘The Problem Child’ looks to bounce back from his first professional boxing loss. It’ll be easier said than done, as he’s taking on Diaz, a former UFC fighter who’s durable and well-conditioned.
Over the past few months, the combat sports community, including fans, fighters, and analysts, has been split on who will win between Paul and Diaz. During an appearance on the Raw Talk podcast with Bradley Martyn, Schaub, a former UFC heavyweight, provided this prediction for the upcoming boxing match:
“If Nate [Diaz] takes it serious like a real fight, it’s gonna be a tough night for Jake [Paul], especially if it goes past three rounds, Nate is gonna win that fight.”
In February of this year, Paul suffered his first professional boxing match against Tommy Fury by split decision. Before losing against Fury, ‘The Problem Child’ earned respect from some fans by defeating Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley x2, and Anderson Silva.
Meanwhile, Diaz will fight outside the UFC for the first time in over fifteen years. He last fought in September 2022, defeating Tony Ferguson by a fourth-round submission in the UFC 279 main event.
Brendan Schaub details how Nate Diaz could lose against Jake Paul
Nate Diaz has the overall fighting experience advantage. With that said, Jake Paul has more boxing fights, making him a -330 betting favorite against Diaz (+245). Although Brendan Schaub picked the Stockton native to defeat Paul, he had this to say during the same conversation with Bradley Martyn:
“Nate’s fought everyone at the highest level. He’s fought Conor [McGregor] in his prime, he’s fought Donald Cerrone. He’s fought all these huge names, and there has to be some sort of dropoff when you’re fighting Jake Paul. I respect the f*ck out of Jake Paul. When it comes to fighting, he’s just not at the level Jake is used to, so I’m just worried Nate could lose it if he’s not taking it serious…”
Schaub followed by explaining what makes Paul a dangerous fighter:
“Jake hits hard, man, and early on, he’s a lot younger, he doesn’t have the miles on him. You can’t sleep on Jake, he will f*ck you up. I think all of these MMA guys, including Anderson Silva, slept on him. The dude can hit, athletic, young.”
Paul will have added pressure when he steps into the ring against Diaz. ‘The Problem Child’ has thrived as a promoter for himself, but two consecutive losses could ruin his hype. On the contrary, the Stockton native will always have fans due to his legendary tenure with the UFC.
