YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul decisively beat UFC legend Nate Diaz in a boxing match Saturday night, but Diaz said he’s willing to take on Paul again, whether in the ring or the mixed-martial arts cage.
“Right now we’re going to go home and we’re going to talk about it, and we’re going to figure out whether we want to do MMA or boxing, and then we’ll see what they want to do,” Diaz said in his news conference after the match.
“But my goal is to get a rematch in any art,” he added.
Paul, 26, and Diaz, 38, went 10 rounds on Saturday in Dallas, with judges returning a unanimous 98-91, 98-91 and 97-92 decision for Paul.
Paul has previous wins in the boxing ring against former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, as well as former MMA champ Ben Askren. Now add Diaz to the list, who made his professional boxing debut.
On Saturday, Paul landed 174 punches compared to 143 for Diaz and knocked down Diaz in the fifth round.
Paul immediately challenged Diaz to a rematch after the fight, saying he was willing to meet him in the mixed-martial arts format next time.
“I knocked him down, won basically every round, but he’s a warrior,” Paul said in a post-fight interview. “I had him hurt in the first round, he kept on coming. No one’s taken that much damage. All credit to my team and conditioning. Going 10 rounds in my eighth fight, it’s unheard of. Only been boxing for three years and beat a UFC legend.”
The fight was co-promoted by Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. and Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. ESPN said both fighters would earn “well into eight figures” for the night’s work — the biggest payday of Diaz’s career.
Paul has never competed in MMA but has a contract with the PFL should he choose to switch fighting formats. There reportedly is a $10 million offer for Diaz for an MMA fight against Paul.
Diaz said he’s willing to consider bringing in his Real Fight Inc. for a rematch.
“They said they wanted to do the PFL thing, and I think that if we want to do that, we’re going to have to co-promote and do Real Fight vs. PFL, and I’m with that,” he said.
–Field Level Media
