A nervous and uncomfortable looking Nate Diaz bounced from a promotional interview with Jake Paul, leaving some wondering if he’s in the headspace to fight.
Nate Diaz still isn’t interested in helping Jake Paul promote their August 5th boxing fight in Dallas, Texas.
Fans of the Stockton slapper were hoping the fairly reserved Nate would come alive on fight week and spit some truth at the YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Instead, a new clip from Ariel Helwani shows an uncomfortable-looking Diaz fleeing a face-to-face interview with Paul, never to return.
Interviews where both fighters sit down across from each other have become a thing over the past couple of years. It’s the perfect opportunity to generate some buzz by having them talk s— to each other in person, with an interviewer moderating the situation. This time it was The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani sitting between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz.
There were no fireworks that we know of. Instead, a clip shows Diaz nervously gripping his fists and looking distressed before getting up and walking away.
Oh my.
Today’s face-to-face with Jake and Nate ended … prematurely.
Full video out tomorrow via @DAZNBoxing. pic.twitter.com/QHb6rztQ1C
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 2, 2023
“Yeah I’ll be right back,” Diaz said.
He was not right back. Footage from another camera showed Nate getting into an SUV and riding off.
Jake Paul was actually in the middle of buttering Diaz up when Nate walked out.
“He’s a warrior, he’s put on some of the greatest fights in the history of MMA,” Paul said. “He has an amazing fanbase, obviously people love him for a reason. And I know he’s coming to bring a war. That’s what it says [on the promotional poster], ‘Ready for f—ing war.’”
As Paul realized Diaz was leaving, he put a hand over his face in frustration. We gotta say: Nate may not be trying to get in Jake’s head here, but he’s doing a great job with this outside-the-box mental warfare.
What exactly is going on with Diaz? Who knows for sure. If we had to guess, we’d point blame at the Texas athletic commission not allowing Nate Diaz to smoke marijuana leading up to the August 5th fight. What you’re seeing here is Nate raw-dogging reality, and he’s clearly not enjoying it.
Will Diaz be able to settle down on fight night and bring his A game to the Paul fight? It’s a real question. For a bout whose tagline is ‘Ready for war,’ we’re now left wondering if Nate Diaz is in the right mindset to fight.