Jake Paul has confirmed that UFC legend Nate Diaz is his planned next opponent after he fights Tommy Fury on Sunday night in Saudi Arabia.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer takes a massive step up in competition in the Middle East this weekend when he faces unbeaten boxer Fury after previously defeating MMA legends and celebrities. But he is already looking ahead to a busy year, and is eyeing Diaz after the former lightweight title contender left the UFC last year.
Diaz is one of the most in-demand fighters in combat sport at the moment, with offers coming in from promotions across boxing, MMA and even bare-knuckle for his services. He is a massive pay-per-view draw and after twice attending Paul's fights to corner teammate Chris Avila, there appears to be a path set for the pair to finally fight later this year.
"I think in boxing people are like 'don't look past your opponent, but then that just means that you truly don't believe you're going to win," Paul said in an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting. "I know I have to go in there on Sunday and perform, but I don't see myself not doing that.
"So I do schedule these things, I'm a businessman and I love my Google calendar. I have a plan every single day, a 'to-do' list every single day so of course I'm going to be looking at future fights and planning those out as well. I'm a Capricorn, that's how we do it."
And he believes that the bout with Diaz, in a boxing ring and not the MMA cage where he will transition next year, is locked in. "Nate Diaz is next," Paul insisted. "He's on standby ready, waiting and willing. Our teams are talking almost all the time and it's a perfect next fight."
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Paul has offered Diaz a two-fight deal, with the first being in the ring where he would have a major advantage and the second being inside the PFL Smart Cage. He would be giving up an unthinkable advantage to Diaz were he to do so, and it appears that the UFC legend isn't keen on the idea.
First, however, Paul must get through the difficult 8-0 prospect Fury in unfamiliar surroundings on Sunday night. He's moved his camp to the Middle East to acclimatise, but will still face rough conditions as they battle outdoors on a humid if not particularly hot evening.
The bout will be a PPV headliner, Paul's fifth consecutively and the Brit's first. Despite his considerably less experience and his rival's famed boxing pedigree including world heavyweight champion Tyson, bookies have made the American a relatively strong favourite.
