Jake Paul believes Nate Diaz's opinion on his fight with Anderson Silva is one of the few which has "credibility".
The YouTuber-turned-boxer will finally face someone with a winning professional record when he takes on the iconic former UFC middleweight champion Silva next month in Arizona. He had been eyeing up a possible fight with Diaz for the past year, but the Stockton native was unable to get out of his exclusive UFC contract until he fought Khamzat Chimaev, which he does tomorrow.
And despite Diaz having previously claimed to be "bored" during Paul's fight with Woodley and leaving early, there appears to be something of a mutual respect between the pair. Asked at Wednesday's media day for a prediction for Paul vs Silva, Diaz explained that the fight could go either way, listing advantages for each fighter.
“I see it going a lot of different ways,” Diaz told reporters when asked for his take. “I think Anderson for sure – I didn’t like when he fought [Julio] Cesar Chavez Jr and, I think it may have been the organisation they were fighting under or whatever, but they were talking like all surprised that Anderson was beating Chavez Jr.
"Respect to Chavez Jr and Sr, but why are they acting surprised that Anderson Silva is doing good? What do you even think Chavez Jr is even doing in there with Anderson Silva? They considered him the GOAT in the UFC for a long time.
"There was no appreciation for that and I thought that was stupid. I think they’d be stupid if they’re trying to count him [Silva] out at all in this fight, but I also see that Jake Paul could win or do well too,” Diaz said. “[He’s] young, motivated, strong, inspired to box. So, I think it makes for an interesting fight.”
Paul tweeted a clip of Diaz's speech to his 4.4million followers with the caption: "Everybody has an opinion…at least this one has some credibility. #PaulSilva".
What did you make of Nate Diaz's comments on Paul vs Silva? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
There will always be critics of the YouTube star's boxing move, with the continuous one being that he generally fights pat-their-prime opponents who aren't boxers. But Silva has proven himself a very capable boxer since leaving the UFC in 2020, and boasts a win over Chavez Jr, a former world champion, on his record.
He also recently knocked out former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz within seconds of their bout in September last year. Most recently, he brutalised and dropped Bruno Machado in an exhibition that he almost certainly would have won had it been scored on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs Don Moore.
Silva is the first opponent Paul has faced with a winning record, which is 3-1, as well as an advantage in almost every physical aspect. He has called for a higher maximum weight of 187lb after Paul wanted 185lb, and he is taller with a longer reach than the American as well.
