UFC veteran Nate Diaz is set to battle Jake Paul in a boxing match this weekend, and he has already accepted a $10M offer for their next bout to be contested in MMA with some contingencies.
Jake Paul is looking to bounce back to the top of the influencer boxing power rankings after suffering his first-ever defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury.
On Saturday, August 5, Paul will face off against Nate Diaz, having already bested other former UFC talent with knockout victories against Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
However, The Problem Child has been itching to get into MMA and wants to battle Diaz once more after their boxing match, putting $10 million on the line. While Diaz agreed, there was a big catch.
Nate Diaz wants to return to UFC for Jake Paul MMA fight
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Diaz was confident that his next fight would be in MMA and could “probably” return to the UFC.
“It will probably either be back in the UFC, or do something like this in an MMA style – or boxing, either one,” he explained.
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When the topic of the $10M offer came up to have an MMA bout in the PFL, Diaz appeared less interested because he has no connection to that company.
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“I don’t fight for that organization. If we do something, we’re going to do something real,” he said, adding that a co-promotion could be on the table.
For the Paul boxing match, Diaz’s company Real Fight Inc is splitting the proceeds with Jake’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Jake, meanwhile, was committed to his MMA debut happening in PFL and believes that once he wins in boxing, Diaz will come around because he would want “revenge.”
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“I think he’s leaving it open-ended to see what happens Saturday,” Jake said. “I think he’ll want that get-back and he’ll realize he’s not going to get as much money once he loses to me anywhere else.
We’ll have to see what happens on Saturday and if the results influence a potential 2024 MMA rematch between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz.