A boxing bout is officially set to take place on August 5th from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas between YouTube star turned prizefighter, Jake Paul and former UFC star Nate Diaz. Many, including myself, believed that these two would eventually settle their beef inside the squared circle, particularly after Diaz parted ways with the UFC, and it turns out that we were correct! Real Fight Inc. and Most Valuable Promotions, with Dazn as the broadcaster, are teaming up to put on this mega PPV spectacle. The fight will be held at 185 pounds, scheduled for 8 rounds, and they will be using 10 ounce gloves.
Jake is returning to fighting older MMA guys as he looks to bounce back from his first career loss to Tommy Fury by split decision. Jake’s record now sits at 6-1 with 4 KOs. Jake has himself announced the fight and has also had some words for Nate. Here’s what he had to say in the press release: “My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I’m built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most badass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.”
“People tell me Nate has been training with Andre Ward for years. That he has insane stamina. That he refuses to back down. Good for fucking Nate. 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.” These are confident words, as always, from Jake Paul, who no doubt feels the pressure like never before coming off his first loss.
Diaz, on the other hand, is a true veteran of MMA, bursting onto the scene in 2007 after winning TUF season 5 as a lightweight and has spent most of his career there, with two different runs at 170 pounds, first from 2010-2011 and then again for his infamous bout against Conor McGregor up until his departure. I’m not sure how Nate will look at 185, but I am definitely looking forward to finding out.
Diaz had the rare blessing of leaving the UFC on a victory inside the octagon. If you remember how it played out, it was a crazy time to be a UFC fan. Khamzat Chimaev was booked to send Diaz off into free agency. Unfortunately for Dana, Khamzat failed to make weight by a substantial amount, and Tony Ferguson was brought in at the last moment to face Diaz. The MMA gods were team Diaz on that night as he got the job done. I wonder if he can do the same on August 5th and truly end the Jake Paul hype. I personally can’t see Jake fighting again, providing he takes a loss to Diaz. Whether you like what Jake’s doing or not, there’s no doubting that with Nate being such a big PPV draw, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest fights and events of the year.
No other fights have been announced for the show as of yet. I believe that given the bad blood between the teams, we could well see some team Paul and Diaz teammates on the undercard. Diaz has made it known that he plans on returning to the UFC in the future, with a McGregor trilogy fight still on the table down the road. Paul, meanwhile, had talked about a potential rematch with Tommy Fury next or a possible matchup with fellow YouTube star KSI. Ultimately, Paul vs. Diaz was too big of a matchup to pass up.
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