Aug 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, United States; Jake Paul (left) knocks out Nate Diaz during a boxing match at the American Airlines Center. Credit required: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Paul is still “the problem child”. At least for older MMA fighters.
The boxer-turned-social media influencer scored a unanimous decision win (97-92, 98-91, 98-91) over UFC veteran Nate Diaz on Saturday, taking his pro boxing record to 7-1 (0-1 vs pro boxers ). ).
The fight had all the hallmarks of a Jake Paul fight. Weeks of attention and concern as to whether this really is the future of boxing. An opponent known for something other than his boxing skills. Lots of celebrities. Noise, endless noise. At least there is nothing to learn about Paul’s future as a real boxer.
We certainly learned the same lesson about his skills as a promoter when he sold a fight against an opponent who was 12 years his senior and had months of experience in the sport. The big draw here was that Diaz was the one who stopped another loudmouth, Conor McGregor, with his legendary submission win in 2016. Paul and boxing turned out to be a different kind of challenge.
The fight seemed almost over in the first round when Paul injured Diaz and delivered a series of punches over the next minute that cornered the fighter. Diaz recovered enough to quell the threat, but the match closely resembled Paul’s other wins, with his chosen Big MMA name coming across as hesitant and slow.
Diaz began figuring out how to defend in the second round but never landed a punch that seemed to hurt Paul. Those finally came in the fourth round when Diaz got aggressive and hit a series of hooks that wouldn’t have gone out of place in an MMA match.
In the fifth round, Diaz started having some fun by pretending a body punch injured him, but Paul hit back with a knockdown and spent the rest of the round hitting Diaz like in the first round. The next few rounds were reasonably even before Diaz seemed to do some real damage and get the crowd excited in the eighth and ninth rounds. Paul’s punches didn’t seem to hurt him anymore.
The escapades continued into the last lap, with Diaz feigning fatigue and damage, or at least part of it. Paul, who had never lasted more than eight rounds in a fight, looked gassed while Diaz just looked amused.
Diaz had the momentum in the end, as many had predicted, but Paul’s control in the early laps made for an undisputed decision.
“I knocked him down practically every round, and then he won a round. But he’s a warrior,” Paul said after the fight. “I injured him in the first lap, he kept going. Nobody takes that much damage, but I have to thank my team and my condition. The fact that I completed ten rounds in my eighth fight is unprecedented. I’ve only been boxing for three years. “Beat a UFC legend.”
Who will Jake Paul fight next?
As always, the answer to Paul’s further development lies with Paul. He suggested his next fight could be an MMA fight after signing with the Professional Fighters League earlier in the year. It seemed like he would offer Diaz as his opponent as the first opponent, but he kept him wide enough for the entire MMA community.
“I want $10 million. PFL, that’s the deal,” Paul said. “Let’s play it back in MMA. make it fair I won one, now it’s your chance in your home territory. MMA, let’s do it.”
Paul also said he was ready for a rematch against Tommy Fury, who defeated him by split decision in February, denying him his first win over a person whose Wikipedia page had “Boxer” as the first job. And there’s always another MMA fighter of at least moderate fame waiting for a payday.
Or maybe José Ramírez is available.
Here’s how the fight went:
Nate Diaz vs Jake Paul Main card odds, results
• Catchweight (185 lbs): Jake defeated Paul. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91, 98-91)
• Women’s Featherweight Championship: Amanda Serrano defeated. Heather Hardy by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-90)
• Super Middleweight: Chris defeated Avila. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (59-55, 59-55, 60-54)
• Lightweight: Defeated Ashton “H2O” Silver. William Silva by KO at 2:59 by R4
• Women’s Super Middleweight: Shadasia Green def. Olivia Curry by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89)
• Welterweight: Alan Sanchez defeated. Angel Beltran by unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 79-73)
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