After a night of impressive victories Marc Raimondi and Michael Rothstein share their thoughts on what should be next for the winners — and losers.
The Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz rivalry isn’t over. That much was clear following Paul’s unanimous decision win over Diaz in boxing. It just doesn’t seem likely to continue inside the ring.
Paul, for months, has been calling for an MMA fight with Diaz after this one. He and his partner PFL have offered Diaz $10 million for that bout. Diaz had been non-committal about fighting Paul in the cage, mostly because he views Paul as an amateur when it comes to real fighting and that’s not the kind of opponent he wants after two decades in MMA.
But Diaz’s tune changed after the boxing loss to Paul on Saturday night in Dallas. Diaz told ESPN that he wants a rematch with Paul, and if it can’t happen in boxing, then he is down with it happening in MMA.
Part of the storyline of this fight is Diaz’s belief that Paul wouldn’t be a factor in a “real fight.” He said as much as the ceremonial weigh-ins Friday. Then, Diaz put Paul in a guillotine choke in the 10th round of their boxing match and played to the crowd, kind of showing what would happen if the two fought in MMA.
There would be obstacles in the way of it happening. Paul’s Real Fight Inc. would have to be a co-promoter of the event. Diaz does not seem interesting in signing with PFL, since he just left the UFC last year and still has designs on going back there. Real Fight Inc. president Zach Rosenfield said at the postfight news conference Saturday that the deal would not be for $10 million, implying that Diaz would demand more for that bout.
The Paul vs. Diaz boxing match was a success, there’s no doubt about that. There was a lack buzz for a while, but that changed this week, courtesy of Diaz walking off an interview, some shenanigans at the prefight news conference and the physical faceoff at the ceremonial weigh-ins Friday. American Airlines Center was sold out and the crowd was energetic, mostly for Diaz.
A story has developed between the two men. Diaz feels like he’s the old-school martial artist battling against influencer culture. He believes Paul and other influencers are teaching kids the wrong things. It’s a generational and philosophical gap between the two men. Diaz is 38 years old, grew up poor and has been fighting his entire life. Paul is 26 years old and has been famous on social media for nearly half his life to this point.
Is there a market for an MMA fight? Probably. There are still many fans — especially MMA fans — who want to see Paul get his comeuppance. While many of Paul’s detractors have asked why he’s not fighting “real boxers,” MMA fans are wondering why he keeps inviting MMA fighters into the boxing ring rather than meeting them where they are at their best. Paul has now beaten Diaz, UFC legend Anderson Silva, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren in boxing.
Even in Paul’s lone boxing loss to Tommy Fury, he wasn’t beaten up or finished. In fact, Paul had the only knockdown in that decision defeat. There are plenty of MMA fans — or just Paul haters, of which there are many — chomping at the bit to see him get his butt kicked and knocked out or submitted.
