If UFC President, Dana White, is to be believed, fans can stop fantasizing about a potential Nate Diaz-Jake Paul boxing match.
The Stockton, California native is officially set to have his final fight in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) this coming Sept. 10, 2022, in UFC 279’s main event opposite Khamzat Chimaev. Diaz made his way into the promotion through The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 in June 2007.
As one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, Diaz should find himself with plenty of options in his life after UFC, no matter what happens in his last dance. However, the seemingly most likely option might not actually be as realistic as many have been believing.
“I don’t know [if Diaz will fight Paul],” White told Yahoo Sports. “He said, ‘I would never do that.’ That’s what he said to me. He said, ‘That s—t’s goofy.’ I don’t know. That’s what he said to me.”
The one-time UFC Lightweight title challenger, Diaz, has never been one that’s shy about expressing how he feels on a certain subject — these past few months where he’s demanded his release being a prime example.
Ahead of the clash with No. 3-ranked UFC Welterweight contender, Chimaev, Diaz has made it abundantly clear that he’s no longer interested in the money and just wants specific types of challenges. What kinds of challenges? Well, UFC Heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, was someone mentioned … but back to reality.
Chimaev gets to offer up the Diaz-UFC swan song and from White’s perspective, it’s a fight that needed to be made despite some public backlash.
“We made it, and here we are,” White told media following yesterday’s (Tues., July 26, 2022) Contender Series (h/t MMA Fighting). “And it’s a good fight. It’s a fight people want to see. It’s a fight that people will be interested in, so we’re going to do it.”
As for the aforementioned Paul, he’ll next be stepping back in the ring on Aug. 6, 2022, against Hasim Rahman Jr.