Jake Paul has been warned that he needs Nate Diaz to re-establish himself as a pay-per-view draw following his rematch with Tyron Woodley.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has become one of the most talked about fighters in the entirety of combat sports. But after his fight with Tommy Fury set for last December fell through he was forced to rematch ex-UFC champion Woodley, and the event reportedly flopped on PPV after a short and uneventful build-up.
However, Paul's vicious knockout win over Woodley made headlines worldwide and went viral immediately, with millions watching the vicious right hand being landed over the proceeding months. He has since taken an extended break from the ring, but promises that he will be back out in August for his first fight in almost nine months.
And ahead of his return to the ring, Paul has been warned by UFC legend Chael Sonnen that he may need Diaz to get back on the horse in terms of PPV buys. In a video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said: " Jake Paul could really use Nate Diaz right now.
"Having one bad night isn’t enough to go into absolute panic mode. But having a bad night in the world of pay-per-view; it’s a problem. One bad night is a problem. When it does come down to the question of, ‘Who needs who more?’
"I don’t know if that was a completely fair question. May of last year? August of last year? I think that Jake Paul was the bigger star. And that’s a huge compliment I’m giving him.
"Nate Diaz is a very personal friend of mine, so if I’m saying that Jake Paul is a bigger star than my own friend – You see what? I think there’s an accuracy. I don’t know that that’s still true."
Paul burst on to the scene last year with two hit PPV fights against Ben Askren and Woodley in April and August, reportedly raking in somewhere in the region of two million buys between them. But after his split decision win over Woodley and the cancellation of his Fury fight, there was little interest in a rematch.
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It was reported to have sold in the region of just 65,000 units on cable and satellite, with the digital number likely taking it into the six figures. It was much less than the 500,000 that bought his August show, or the one million+ which his brother's exhibition with Floyd Mayweather did two months prior.
Paul is currently looking for an opponent for his next fight, and Mirror Fighting understands that while Diaz is the first choice, his UFC contract situation is making it unlikely. The former lightweight title contender was in attendance for Paul's last fight, but didn't spend much time around the YouTuber.
He was there to support teammate Chris Avila, who was facing Paul's training partner Anthony Taylor. And he did make headlines when a fight broke out at the weigh-ins seemingly stemming from an altercation between Diaz and Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee.
