YouTube sensation Jake Paul will continue his celebrity boxing career against former UFC attraction Nate Diaz in a special pay-per-view (PPV) boxing headliner on DAZN, set for Sat., Aug. 5, 2023 inside American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Paul is coming off a decision loss to Tommy Fury in Dubai, but prior to that defeat — the first of his career — “The Problem Child” was able to outbox former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who’s keeping a close eye on the Diaz fight.
And may even want to fight the winner.
“I’m so excited. That’s a good show for us, a very good show for us,” Silva recently told Fight Hub TV (transcribed by Danny Segura). “I don’t know (who’s going to win). It’s very tough. Everybody thinks Jake is not training boxing, but Jake is training a lot. The people need to respect everything Jake is doing, because he’s very professional, and he’s very focused on his job. I respect him a lot, you know. That’s very hard to say who wins. Both are good fighters. Nate has more experience, he has good boxing and good cardio. I respect both. I’m waiting for the best show for us. Maybe who wins the fight, I fight, too. Maybe. I don’t know. Let’s go see.”
Watch a video trailer for Paul vs. Diaz right here.
Silva has a history with the boys in the 209, going five rounds with older brother Nick Diaz in the UFC 183 PPV headliner back in early 2015. “The Spider’s” decision victory was later changed to a “No Contest” when both combatants failed their pre-fight drug tests.
The 48 year-old Brazilian parted ways with UFC in late 2020 and has since racked up a handful of boxing matches both stateside and abroad. No word yet on when he’ll next compete but expect to see Silva back inside the ring sooner, rather than later.