Nate Diaz has been backed to give Jake Paul the biggest fight of his young boxing career after finally escaping from his UFC contract.
The former lightweight title contender has never boxed before, but is one of the most beloved stars in MMA and has recently become a free agent for the first time in around 15 years. Paul has taken to facing stars of the octagon in his boxing career to date, beating former world champions Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley twice and Anderson Silva thus far.
Fans have been clamouring for the YouTuber-turned-boxer to face a legitimate professional in his next outing, with Tommy Fury atop the list at 8-0. But legendary former two-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier has argued that Diaz would be bigger than any fight Paul has had as yet, given his star power and the love that fans have for him.
“I think Diaz is going to fight Jake Paul,” Cormier said on his ESPN Show DC & RC. “Everything seems right for that to be the fight just because Nate is the opponent type that we seem to see Jake Paul in with. A guy that is no longer in the UFC, a guy that has a boxing background or has the ability to box but not seem as dangerous.
“I thought Anderson Silva was very dangerous, but as you know, Nate beats you with volume. He isn’t a guy that just knocks you out. So I think that kind of plays to what Jake Paul would look for and an opponent, especially a guy that can help to move the needle, because he’s never had a guy in there with him that moves the needle like Nathan Diaz.”
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Diaz has attended both of Paul's last fights to support his pal Chris Avila who fought Anthony Taylor and Dr Mike Varshavski, getting into altercations during both weeks. First time around, he got into it with Taylor; a sparring partner of Paul's, and Bellator champion AJ McKee, before having another altercation at the next fight with a different member of the social media star's team.
However, he will have a number of mega-money offers on the table after leaving the UFC with a stoppage win over Tony Ferguson back in September. He had been due to face Khamzat Chimaev in what was viewed as a massive mismatch, but ended up taking on the much easier Ferguson and submitting him in his final octagon outing.
Bellator MMA and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships have both expressed interest in speaking to Diaz once his contract with the UFC officially came to an end, which it did yesterday. He has indicated that he would like to pursue a number of different disciplines before considering a return to the octagon.
