Nate Diaz says he still wants a rematch with Jake Paul, but he plans to fight Mike Perry first. Diaz says he wants that rematch in MMA, not boxing.
Diaz says he is “on the hunt”
Former UFC fighter Nate Diaz reminded fans he has unfinished business with Jake Paul. Diaz lost to Paul in a boxing match more than two and a half years ago. Paul beat Diaz by unanimous decision after ten rounds.
On the podcast This Past Weekend, Diaz said he is looking for fights and a rematch with Paul. “What do you think I’m doing here? I’m on the hunt, I’m going to take his a** clean out,” Diaz said. He added that he must get past Mike Perry first, then he wants the Paul fight to happen. (Quote from This Past Weekend.)
Podcast appearance and full comments
Diaz and fellow ex-UFC fighter Chris Avila were guests on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend. Von asked if Diaz still wants a fight with Jake Paul in MMA. Diaz gave a clear yes and explained why he sees the matchup as unfinished business.
Diaz said Paul chose boxing for their first fight, which favored Paul’s strengths. Diaz believes an MMA fight would favor him more. “I got to fight [Mike] Perry, get through the fight who’s a really big task at hand, and then we get the Paul fight…we’ll see. Time will tell though,” Diaz said. (Quote from This Past Weekend.)
Where Paul stands
Many expected Jake Paul to try MMA after his boxing rise. He signed a multi-year deal with the PFL in 2023, which made fans think a cage fight was coming. However, that contract ended at the start of this year and Paul never fought in a cage under the deal.
Diaz said he believes Paul will want an MMA fight at some point. He noted Paul often talks about his future plans and said, “I think he will though…project it into f****** existence, he does that good, so yeah, I think he will.” (Quote from This Past Weekend.)
Fight facts
Below are the recent results related to this matchup and the next planned fight for Diaz.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Nate Diaz | Lost to Jake Paul by unanimous decision in a 10-round boxing match |
| Jake Paul | Defeated Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a 10-round boxing match |
Diaz is focused on the Perry fight next, then hopes to settle the score with Paul inside the cage. Quotes above are from This Past Weekend. H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
