Jake
Paul claims that a potential MMA rematch against Nate Diaz is
nowhere close to coming to fruition.
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While Diaz exited the UFC with a stoppage win over Tony
Ferguson in September 2022 ,his long-anticipated boxing clash
against Paul only materialized this past August. Paul went on to
earn a unanimous decision win over the Stockton, California, native
and after the bout, both parties expressed interest in setting up a
rematch under MMA rules.
However, “The Problem Child” claims there has been complete radio
silence from Diaz’s camp after a bit of initial interest. One
potential point of contention is Diaz not wanting to fight under
the Professional Fighters League banner. Diaz is rallying for the
bout to be organized by his own promotion, Real Fight Inc., which
co-promoted his boxing clash with Paul so far. Paul signed with the
PFL earlier this year and is also a minority owner of the
organization.
Paul discussed the possibility of an MMA bout with Diaz during a
recent appearance on „The
MMA Hour.”
“I don’t know if I’d use the word close,” Paul said. “I think there
was a point where there was genuine interest from his team in
making it happen, and then there was just radio silence after that.
Then he’s calling it the P— FL and all this stuff. It’s like, OK,
bro, you either want to make this happen or not.
“And he’s saying, ‘Oh, we’ll do it under Real Fight [Inc].’ That’s
not a real thing. We taught them about the business, we taught them
how to run their operation, and we let them put their logos on the
mat. They don’t have a promotion, they don’t have any
infrastructure, they don’t have the funding to make any event
possible, so he’s just hiding behind this notion that he doesn’t
want to fight in the PFL. But look, I think eventually he’s going
to need or want the money. So I’m not writing it off. Like I said,
we’re fully ready to make it happen, and he just has gone
silent.”
Paul is confident in his ability to beat the UFC veteran on his
terms, though he does acknowledge that it will be a serious
challenge.
“Nate
Diaz is the perfect person for that because I genuinely,
whole-heartedly, in the bottom of my heart know that I can beat
him, but I also know it’s going to be a challenge and I’d have to
really, really work for it,” Paul said. “But that’s what excites
me, going into these fights with it being a 50/50 percent chance of
outcome.”
In the meantime, Paul is set to trade leather against pro boxer
Andre August on Dec. 15 at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando.