Jake Paul has got the version of Nate Diaz he expected as the weeks wind down to their boxing match.
Diaz is set to make his first post-UFC appearance on Aug. 5 when he takes on Paul in his professional boxing debut. The 10-round, 185-pound fight takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas and airs on pay-per-view.
After spending more than 15 years under the UFC banner, Diaz was able to free himself from the promotion and set up a bout with Paul. The former UFC title challenger has build a reputation as a no-nonsense individual who doesn’t shy from confrontation in the lead up to a fight.
Paul hasn’t found the end of Diaz’s wrath yet, though.
Diaz was mostly cordial in the first press conference between the two sides, and was even complementary of Paul’s rise from a YouTuber into a boxer. He hasn’t bit on Paul’s attacks, and has been largely inactive on social media through the lead-up to the fight. It’s mostly been radio silence, and Paul is disappointed his opponent isn’t engaging.
“That’s what I wanted – that’s why I signed up for this – is to give the people a show and to squash this beef,” Paul told MMA Junkie. “He talked a lot more sh*t to me before we signed up to fight. So, he’s kind of being a b*tch in that sense. I expected more out of him, and I expected him to carry that gangster attitude and to not take my insults. But he’s pretty much rolled over like a b*tch and has been quite boring, which pisses me off. But I’m used to carrying these promotions. It’s no different in this one.”
Even if Diaz isn’t doing his part from Paul’s perspective, he’s still expecting a successful event.
There are still more than two weeks until fight night and, given the personalities involved, fireworks could happen at any time. The pair will interact again during the fight days prior to sharing the ring, and Paul hopes that will drive even further fan interest.
“I think it’s going to surprise everyone,” Paul said. “This is the most amount of interest we’ve had in terms of ticket sales, live gate. We’re pretty much all sold out. The highest average ticket prices for any of my fights. The first time my opponent had this much traction on social media in terms of the posts he’s making about it. So I think it can exceed expectations. I would be happy with 400,000 or 500,000 (pay-per-view buys). But I’m also coming off of selling 830,000 with Tommy (Fury). So it could be even bigger. Nate Diaz is a bigger star than Tommy Fury. He has more experience in this game. Has sold millions of PPVs throughout his career. So it could shock us all.”
One twist that has occurred since Paul vs. Diaz was booked was an alteration to the rounds of the contest. It was originally scheduled for eight rounds, but has since been increased to 10 rounds, which Paul has never fought before.
Paul said the change came at Diaz’s request, and he happily obliged, because it will make the win more meaningful.
“Nate’s team wanted it,” Paul said. “They thought his cardio is superior to mine and they thought it would be an advantage to them to do a longer fight. They hit us up with the idea, I said instantly, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’ To me it just makes the fight more exciting. I’ve never back down from any opponent, any challenge, any fight, any request. So here we are. It does make the fight more interesting because of his cardio, and everyone knows he can take a lot of damage and keep coming forward. Even if I am winning in the early rounds, there could be an advantage to him in the later rounds.”
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.
