All We Know So Far About the $15 Million MMA Fight Between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz

Jake Paul is one fighter in the influencer-boxing realm who has never shied away from taking a fight. In 2023 alone, he has taken two high-profile fights. The third one is slated to happen this week, on the 15th of December, against Andre August. However, there are echoing calls for a rematch against Nate Diaz. While a $15 million MMA fight was previously proposed between them, the events that led to this number remain interestingly convoluted.

On the 5th of August, 26-year-old Paul undertook a fight against the UFC-fame, Nate Diaz. It was his chance to bounce back from his first career at the hands of Tommy Fury this year. While for Paul, it was his relevance in the boxing realm at stake, for Diaz, it was his maiden boxing endeavor after having headlined the UFC for about 15 years. The result? Paul emerged victorious. The aftermath? A long back-and-forth ensued between the fighters for a rematch. The details of this spiral, let’s dive in.

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz meet in the ring

Ahead of their August clash, Diaz had assumed the position of the underdog. Despite the overwhelming prediction going against him, he entered the ring with all the confidence he could muster. On fight night, popular predictions aligned with the antics he did during the rounds. Diaz’s inability to sustain against Paul saw its crescendo in round 5 when Paul knocked him down. In moments, he’d however recuperate.

As the fight saw its closure, in its final moment, Diaz marked his presence. Illegal, however, he held his opponent in a guillotine choke. The decision sided with Paul unanimously. However, Diaz seemed pretty unfazed, undertaking his post-fight press conference like nothing had happened. Paul, on the other hand, was boosted with confidence and went on to challenge Diaz for a rematch. His offer? Very different from their initial clash.

Jake Paul Challenges Nate Diaz for an MMA clash

If we consider the Paul vs. Diaz MMA fight, the offer was sent to Diaz well in advance, even before their initial August fight. Paul had challenged Diaz to a fight in his bastion combat format- the MMA. As a sweetener of mammoth capacity, ‘Problem Child’ also offered $10 million in return. However, as per Paul’s claims, his opponent was not ready for the fight. His offer came in the backdrop of him singing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) early this year.

Furthermore, when he rose victorious against Diaz, Jake invoked the MMA fight offer yet again. However, Paul claimed that while Nate’s team showed some interest initially in the fight, then came a strong period of radio silence.

Why won’t Diaz fight against Paul under the PFL?

In the conversation with Ariel Helwani, the younger Paul brother explained that Diaz had asked for an MMA fight under Real Fight [Inc]. However, the Problem Child considered it unfeasible. He said that Real Fight in contrast to the PFL did not have the infrastructure, the money, or the resources to host an event of this capacity. Paul did not spend his time waiting. He scheduled his next boxing fight and first PFL fight pronto.

Jake Paul’s December boxing fight and his first PFL fight

In the wake of this back-and-forth between him and Diaz, Paul went ahead and scheduled his third boxing fight of the year against an unnamed fighter. While the world dived into speculations, Diaz hinted that it could be him. In a now-deleted Instagram post, he uploaded an unofficial poster of his rematch with Paul, prompting fans to believe that the unnamed opponent was indeed him. On the contrary, what came was the Andre August fight. 

Additionally, when PFL acquired Bellator, the president of PFL noted that Paul would get his maiden fight under the banner in the fourth quarter of 2024, giving him ample time to prepare. With this hint, calls for a Paul vs. Diaz in MMA were further fanned.

$15 million for a Jake Paul- MMA fight

Very recently, Donn Davis, founder and president of the PFL, kept an open fight invitation to anyone who would want to fight against Jake Paul, a big name on their roster. Briefly hinting that the offer also stands for Nate, he noted, “Nate will do it when he wants to do it. So I’m just trying to create a canvas that we’re open for business.”

Also read: “No One Has an Unfair Advantage”: Misfits’ Co-president Reveals Why Jake Paul vs KSI Fight Is Not Happening

Will Jake Paul ever fight Nate Diaz again? The answer lies with the latter. The ball at the moment is in his court. However, he needs to weigh his options. His age, in contrast to Paul, might be his shortcoming. However, his acumen and experience outweigh that of Paul. With no indication of their fight yet, stay tuned as we bring you timely updates on the same.

Meanwhile, who do you think would win between them in an MMA fight?

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