For the past two years, speculation has been swirling about Jake Paul’s long-awaited MMA debut in the Professional Fighters League. Back in early 2023, the YouTuber-turned-boxer confidently announced that he would be stepping into the cage “soon.” Yet, despite becoming one of the highest-paid boxers in the world, his transition to MMA has seen little tangible progress. However, PFL co-owner Don Davis remains optimistic, expressing confidence that Paul will make his debut by the end of 2025. The big question on everyone’s mind is: Who will Jake Paul face in his first MMA bout?

One potential opponent who has been floated around is Nate Diaz. The two previously met inside the boxing ring, where Paul secured a dominant unanimous decision victory with scores of 97-92, 98-91, and 98-91. Eager to challenge Diaz under MMA rules, Paul even offered the veteran a bucket load of cash to step back into the spotlight. ‘El Gallo’ recently said, “I definitely want to do MMA. Nate Diaz, still to this day, has not accepted the $15million [£11.5m] deal that we have for him. For me in MMA, it’s just about finding the right opponent.”

However, it seems that PFL insider Dan Hardy doesn’t agree with the potential outing. During a recent episode of the talkSport MMA show, Hardy shared his candid thoughts on the situation. The former UFC title challenger believes that Diaz may not be the best choice, arguing that Stockton’s favorite son is past his prime and might not be the most compelling matchup for Paul’s MMA debut.

Although the 39-year-old is one of the best in the business under the MMA rules, Hardy felt he was not the same fighter as he used to be. The PFL insider cited the example of their boxing clash in the past where Diaz failed to cause any sort of damage with his punches.

“We hold Nate in high regard but Nate is not the person he was you know when he was flipping the bird to the cameras because he’s got someone in a triangle. He’s not that guy anymore you know. He doesn’t move the same way that he used to. I was ringside when Nate and Jake Paul boxed. I was on comms for that. Nate didn’t hurt him with anything. He didn’t land anything of significance. But Jake can crack. Like he’s a young man he moves quickly. And that goes a long way in this sport. It really does.”

Coming back to Jake’s MMA ambitions, this is not the first time he has called out Diaz for a MMA bout. Last year in June, ‘The Problem Child’ took to his BS w/Jake Paul podcast and said, “He’s actually ducking it, which is crazy. We upped to $15 million, but he actually doesn’t want to do it.”

Former UFC 135lbs champ Sean O’Malley who joined the Cleveland native quipped, “I don’t know how much jiu-jitsu you know. Nate’s a f—–g high-level black belt. If you can keep it standing, 100 percent there are winnable ways there. If it went to the ground, I think he might be able to grab your neck.”

However, Paul wasn’t worried about Diaz’s skills and iterated what Hardy had to say about Diaz. “That’s exactly how I feel about it. If I don’t get guillotined, then I win the fight. But even if he was on top of me, I would just throw him off of me because he’s also the weakest puncher I’ve ever fought. Like, when he was hitting me I almost started laughing.”

For the versed, Diaz parted ways with the UFC in 2023 and has since been vocal about his concerns regarding the UFC’s business practices. Although he has shown interest in making a return to the Octagon, will he ever fight under the banner of PFL? Former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub doesn’t quite think so.

Brendan Schaub weighs in on Nate Diaz fighting in MMA again

The PFL is undoubtedly facing a tough time at the moment. After acquiring Bellator last year, the Donn Davis-led promotion was expected to step up as a serious competitor to the UFC. However, things haven’t gone as planned. Instead of gaining momentum, the organization has struggled, with top fighters like Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire leaving due to a lack of opportunities inside the cage. But some fans believe the $15 million offer from PFL and Paul was simply too good for the Stockton native to turn down.

However, others think the MMA superstar still has his sights set on a UFC return and won’t take the deal, knowing it could put him at odds with Dana White. Meanwhile, former UFC heavyweight and podcaster Brendan Schaub has a different theory on why Diaz is hesitant to sign with PFL.

During one of the episodes of his podcast, Schaub said, “Nate’s not going to fight in the PFL. I’m with Nate on this. Like ‘Yeah, I’m down to fighting MMA. But why would Nate lower his standards to go to the PFL? The PFL’s a s–t show, dude. Like why would you go fighting in the PFL?… Nah, f–k that. Nate’s a UFC guy. Like he’s still in cahoots with the UFC. He was backstage [at UFC 310], you know, he’s throwing water bottles, whatever. Doing his s–t. Of course, that’s his thing.” 

Will we see Jake Paul and Nate Diaz clash under the rules of MMA ever? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.