Jake Paul has emerged victorious in his hotly-anticipated 10-round battle with Nate Diaz in Dallas, Texas.
The Problem Child was looking to bounce back from a loss to Tommy Fury in his last bout, his first ever professional loss, and he was able to put UFC legend Diaz to the sword in front of a crowd at the American Airlines Center, winning the bout via unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards.
It was clear from the start that Paul was going to be on the front foot and the aggressor, meanwhile, his opponent was more than happy to have some fun in the ring. Well, that was until round five, when Diaz was dropped by The Problem Child.
But, he dusted himself down and fought until the end, much like you'd expect from the UFC legend, but it wasn't enough to get the job done, as he lost his one and only boxing fight.
Video: Jake Paul announced the winner of Nate Diaz fight
Things started pretty worryingly for Diaz, as he was well and truly rocked and tested in the opening round, with Paul smelling blood and seeking an early finish. However, the ex-UFC fighter managed to cling on and survive the opening round. Did you really expect Nate Diaz to get knocked out in the very first round?! He'd have never allowed that, and he didn't, but boy was he close.
Then the next major talking point was in the fifth round, when Paul dropped Diaz with a beautiful shot to the temple, sending the latter down to the canvas in a rather dazed and confused state.
Although there was plenty of mocking, teasing, and taunting, that was really it in terms of action, well, until Diaz got Paul in a guillotine choke in the final round, but bar that, it was a pretty mundane fight and a comfortable evening's work for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Video: Highlights of Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz
In the build-up to this fight, Diaz had accused Paul of not doing enough to promote the contest, stating: "That's his problem," when asked about the relatively low sales.
"Honestly, I believe my fight promotes itself. I'm not going to get into a little kid's argument like him and pretend we're something we're not. I don't need to act and talk a bunch of s**t like he wants to do. He said something about me in the press conference, and I said I wasn't there to talk. I didn't even want to go to any press conference to talk to anybody.”
In response, Paul was more optimistic about the sales in the days leading up to the fight, insisting: “I think it’s going to surprise everyone. This is the most amount of interest we’ve had in terms of ticket sales, live gate. We’re pretty much all sold out. The highest average ticket prices for any of my fights. The first time my opponent had this much traction on social media in terms of the posts he’s making about it. So I think it can exceed expectations. I would be happy with 400,000 or 500,000 (pay-per-view buys). But I’m also coming off of selling 830,000 with Tommy (Fury). So it could be even bigger. Nate Diaz is a bigger star than Tommy Fury. He has more experience in this game. Has sold millions of PPVs throughout his career. So it could shock us all.”
Jake Paul's boxing career
Paul, with the victory, takes his career record to 7-1, with the loss to Fury the one and only blemish on his tally. For Diaz, this was the first time he stepped inside the boxing ring for a bout, with a UFC career record of 16-11.
As for what’s next for both, they could well meet again under a world that Diaz would be much more comfortable in. Paul has signed a deal with the PFL, where he also co-owns their Super Fight division. In this role, he has offered Diaz a rematch, as part of a two-fight deal.
“I’m so dedicated to this that I offered Nate Diaz a two-fight deal,” Paul said. “First we box. Then six months later we fight MMA in the PFL SmartCage and lay it all on the line. If that’s not balls, then I don’t know what is. Nate Diaz, I’m down to fight you in your own damn sport. It’s a two-fight deal. Let’s make it happen.”
Diaz said he could be open to that, but he's facing his own major stakes. One of the biggest fights in combat sport history, a trilogy with McGregor, is still out there, and Diaz has made it known he's willing to return to the UFC for big fights that he finds interesting.
Another avenue Paul could go down is a potential clash with KSI, who is business partners with Paul’s brother Logan. KSI and Jake do not like each other, and Logan has already told his partner that, should KSI and Jake clash, Logan will be in the corner of his brother.
As for Diaz, he could also step into the ring with Logan Paul in the future. Logan has previously told his brother that ‘Diaz is my next fight.’
Zach Rosenfield, president of Real Fight Inc., said there was a "very interesting and attractive offer" on the table for Diaz to fight Logan, but WWE got involved, and Diaz soured on the idea. Logan has become a top attraction for the pro wrestling company, and former WWE co-CEO Stephanie McMahon said at a summit last year that the promotion was interested in getting into boxing.
Diaz has recently expressed an interest in returning to the UFC, stating: “That’s an option, the UFC. I would like to (return). At the end of the day, I’d like to go back and fight for a world title. If not, I’m going to have make my own world title and make the best come to me. I would like to be back in the UFC or fight the belt holders in boxing, also.”