
On Saturday, Jake Paul beat former UFC star Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in Dallas, Texas at American Airlines Arena. With the win, Paul improves to 7-1 overall and 5-0 against former UFC stars. Looking ahead, Paul could potentially pursue a fight with the MMA promotion’s biggest star — Conor McGregor. While it would be financially beneficial, the Ohio native appears to be uninterested in sharing the ring with the former UFC champion.
“I don’t care about that guy, he needs to go to rehab. I want Nate Diaz in MMA, I want more professional boxers and I want Canelo Alvarez,” Paul said when asked if he would fight Conor McGregor.
McGregor may not be Paul’s next opponent, but the YouTube star has a number of options to choose from as his combat sports career evolves. In the boxing ring, KSI and Tommy Fury still remain potential opponents. Outside of the ring, he appears to be interested in bringing Nate Diaz to the PFL’s newly launched Super Fight division for a rematch in the octagon. Those involved in the PFL believe Diaz could make their way into the octagon as early as next year.
“It’s like [for MMA fighters] you have a one shot at boxing and that’s what I do. That’s what I’ve been focusing on, now coming over to my support, mixed martial arts, we haven’t had that. Now, we can actually have that. I do think it’s feasible,” Kenny Florian of the PFL said when asked if he thought Diaz would fight Paul in an MMA match.
“I do think it’s possible that we could see it maybe as early as 2024. If you’re gonna do a pay-per-view, you want stars, you want big names and Nate Diaz definitely fits the bill, as does Jake Paul.”