Nate Diaz says it’s going to cost a lot more than $10 million to get him inside the PFL Smart Cage with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
You may not realize it due to the complete lack of hype, but Nate Diaz is scheduled to make his first post-UFC appearance in just a few short weeks. The ‘Stockton Samurai’ will be making his professional boxing debut against ‘The Problem Child’ on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Once their bout is in the books, Paul is expected to make a transition to mixed martial arts, competing under the PFL banner in early 2024. No opponent has been officially announced, but Paul already appears to have a man in mind.
Taking to Twitter, Jake Paul confirmed that his offer to fight Nate Diaz inside the cage following their boxing bout still stands, guaranteeing the TUF alumnus a staggering $10 million for the proposed fight.
“For all the clowns saying ‘why don’t you fight Nate Diaz in the cage.’ I made that offer to him from the start. $10M to fight me in PFL after we box on August 5. Offer is still there Nathan,” Paul tweeted.
A $10 million payday is certainly nothing to scoff at in any field of work, but if Paul wants Nate Diaz to sign off on the mixed martial arts match, he’ll need to up the ante significantly.
“We’ll see what happens, let’s get this fight out that way,” Diaz told InsideFighting. “It’s going to cost more than that.”
Fans Show Concern for Nate Diaz Ahead of Boxing Bout with Jake Paul
Fans have shown some concerns in recent weeks as the fight between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul grows closer. Video clips of Diaz’s sparring have been heavily scrutinized by boxing aficionados. Some have even suspected that the man from 209 could be suffering from CTE after 15 years of high-profile brawls inside the Octagon.
“I’m always aware that I can be knocked out at any time and that’s what makes me train harder than most people. I don’t really be eating punches like how they say because the forearms and elbows and sh*t cut me up. But I’ve been in a boxing gym and it mightn’t look like it but I just roll with any of these punches that anybody lands,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“They’re saying I’ve got CTE or some sh*t and it’s like bro, I’ve been talking this way the whole motherf***ing time. It ain’t got nothing to do with getting hit or none of that and I’m smarter now than ever. I’m not trying to be knocked out so I believe he’s got a long night ahead of him, I believe I do as well but I’m not afraid of it and I’m ready to rock and roll.”
Nate Diaz is currently listed as a +245 underdog going into the contest while Jake Paul is a more than three-to-one favorite, sitting at -330.