Jake Paul was impressed by Nate Diaz at UFC 279, calling his submission win over veteran Tony Ferguson “damn near flawless” and thanking him for helping to set up their “massive fight” down the line.
The past week in the world of combat sports has certainly been one to remember.
On one hand, we had social media star Jake Paul announce his biggest fight yet as he steps into the boxing ring on October 29 against MMA icon Anderson Silva. On the other hand, Nate Diaz shook things up with a pivotal win against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, reaching the end of his contract in the process.
With his fourth-round submission win, Diaz officially became a free agent. After years of public disputes with the leading MMA promotion, even requesting his release on Twitter, he’s now able to go where he likes. One likely destination appears to be a boxing ring.
Having gone back and forth over the years, Diaz and Paul have long wanted to make the matchup official. While various setbacks prevented it from happening then, it’s now entirely possible and Paul was quick to praise the Stockton legend for his efforts in getting out of his contract.
“He was entertaining, he was fun, he had great striking, and then he finished with the submission. It was damn near flawless,” Paul told The Schmo in regard to the final Diaz UFC fight, for now. He even rated his performance a “10/10.”
Now free to “take over” another sport, as Diaz indicated in his post-fight interview, Paul is more confident than ever the two will eventually lock horns.
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“It sets up a massive fight for us one day,” he continued.
With Silva next in line, however, it won’t happen right away. Admittedly, there are a “lot of hurdles” both Paul and Diaz have to overcome in these next few months.
“One of these hurdles is a f**king massive one: Anderson Silva,” he told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
Given it’s his biggest opponent yet and a true legend of the scene, Paul’s full attention is on him, rather than thinking ahead to the Diaz spectacle.
“Anderson is a superstar. In terms of hype and PPVs and media attention, this is the biggest fight. Finally, I don’t have to do all the promoting.“So I’m focused on October 29, but I do in the back of my head want that fight [with Diaz] and I think the fans want that fight.”
If he’s able to get through the former UFC champion, the longest reigning champ in UFC history for that matter, Diaz could very well be next in line for Paul. But for now, it’s all eyes on Silva as he prepares to take on The Spider.