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Jake Paul will take on former UFC star Ben Askren on April 17 in the main event of Triller’s Fight Club, but the popular YouTuber/pro boxer revealed to Heavy on Tuesday that he is also currently negotiating to face an even bigger UFC superstar in his next fight.
“Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is going to happen,” Paul told Heavy.
The 24-year-old claims to already be talking with Diaz’s team behind the scenes about a proposed megafight boxing match between Paul and Diaz.
“We’re talking to Diaz’s team. He wants to do it as well,” Paul said.
Would Dana White Approve Fight?
According to Paul, the two fighters might simply have to wait until Diaz’s contract is up with the UFC.
“He has two more fights with the UFC apparently. So we’ll see what happens. If he frees up from the UFC, that’s the fight,” Paul said.
Diaz lost his last UFC fight to Jorge Masvidal after three rounds via doctor’s stoppage in November 2019 thanks to cuts around his eye. (Paul’s upcoming opponent, Askren, was dropped in five seconds by Masvidal’s flying knee in his second-to-last UFC fight.)
Still, Diaz could also be greenlit for the fight by UFC President Dana White. It happened when Conor McGregor wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather back in 2017 and happened again in Paul’s favor when Askren was selected to be the social media superstar’s next opponent.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported White had to approve UFC fighter Ben Askren being Paul’s opponent. Askren is retired from MMA, but he’s still under contract by the UFC, so White could have kept Paul vs. Askren from happening altogether.
He didn’t.
Regardless, Paul said he was open to facing anyone next so long as it makes sense for his boxing career moving forward.
Paul: ‘Diaz Is a Punching Bag’
While some might wonder whether Paul could seriously compete with a scrappy striker like Diaz in a professional prizefight, Paul brushed off the idea he would have anything to worry about against the UFC superstar inside a boxing ring.
“Diaz started talking s*** to me. Bro, Diaz is a punching bag. The guy just goes into fights and walks forward,” Paul said.
That’s not just talk. Paul truly believes he would have the advantage over just about every MMA fighter in the world inside a boxing ring, including Diaz.
“They’re different sports,” Paul said.
Paul praised Diaz for his toughness but said the 36-year-old possessed limited striking skills compared to professional boxers.
“He’s tough, but a lot of guys are tough. So the Diaz fight makes sense, and he’ll get tatted up,” Paul said.
Paul is 2-0 with 2 KOs. While he has yet to face a legit professional fighter in his short career, that didn’t keep him from predicting another knockout win over Askren.
If that happens, Paul hopes it will help him secure his desired megafight against Diaz next.
“I would love to fight Nate Diaz after Askren,” Paul said. “But we’re not overlooking Ben Askren.”
More About Triller’s Fight Club
Triller’s Fight Club: Paul vs. Askren will follow its record-setting Tyson vs. Jones pay-per-view card last year. According to the press release, Tyson-Jones shattered digital fight pay-per-view records and became the eighth most successful fight in pay-per-view history.
Like its predecessor, Paul vs. Askren will feature three major undercards and spotlight several prominent musical acts and commentators. Triller’s Fight Club is a partnership between Triller and Snoop Dogg and is spearheaded by famed Hollywood producer Ryan Kavanaugh.
Who knows? The Snoop Dogg tie alone might be enough to lure Diaz into the fight.
Even in recent history, stranger things have happened in the topsy-turvy world of boxing than that.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
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Upcoming Fight vs. Nate Diaz: ‘He Wants to Do It’