According to Jake Paul, the majority of the work is done for a boxing match with Nate Diaz. He just needs the other side to get on board.
Just minutes after news broke Tuesday that Diaz was officially free of all contractual ties with the UFC, Paul took to social media to publicly call for the showdown that many fight fans have expected to materialize for some time.
Paul, who on Monday said he was looking to return in February, wrote that he has a venue secured for his next fight and has the specifics ready for Diaz in the form of a bout agreement (via Twitter):
Hi Nate. Finally out of your UFC contract?
Let’s see how tough you are in the boxing ring instead of hallway slap contests.@NateDiaz209
I have a venue booked. Offer is ready when you are. Just need you to sign.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 29, 2022
Hi Nate. Finally out of your UFC contract?
Let’s see how tough you are in the boxing ring instead of hallway slap contests.@NateDiaz209
I have a venue booked. Offer is ready when you are. Just need you to sign.
Paul is coming off a unanimous decision win over former longtime UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva in October, moving the YouTube star’s professional boxing record to 6-0. That night, Diaz was involved in an altercation with members of Paul’s team backstage.
A fight with Diaz has been on Paul’s radar for years. He said early in his boxing journey that it would eventually happen. Diaz first needed to part ways with the UFC, though, and that situation recently came to pass.
Diaz completed the final bout on his UFC contract in September when he submitted Tony Ferguson in the makeshift UFC 279 headliner. He had a 90-day exclusive negotiation period with the organization after the fight, but it was ended early, his representative confirmed to MMA Junkie.
The biggest obstacle in the way of Paul vs. Diaz is now removed, but it remains to be seen if the two sides can reach an agreement to share the ring.
