Nate Diaz took on Jake Paul in what was one of the biggest fights of the year. Despite an unfavorable outcome, Diaz was still in high spirits after the fight. Moreover, Diaz is seemingly keen to get on level terms with Paul, agreeing to a rematch in MMA.
Previously, Nate revealed that he wished to get into boxing after completing his UFC contract and becoming a free agent. As such, a showdown with influencer and YouTuber Jake Paul was set in motion. Eventually, the two faced off just this past weekend, with Jake taking the win via unanimous decision in a thoroughly entertaining affair.
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Following the fight, seeing that the result wasn’t as convincing, Jake extended the offer to rematch Nate in MMA. “I want 10 million dollars, PFL, that’s the offer. Let’s run it back in MMA. Make it fair, I won one, now it’s your chance in your home territory, MMA, let’s do it.” At the time Nate seemingly agreed to the offer and a few days removed from the fight, has dropped a teaser for the same, captioned, “2024..”.
Returning to his hometown Stockton, California, Diaz is seen grappling with a member of his team on the airstrip. Here, it is interesting to see Diaz put his teammate in the same guillotine choke that he put Jake in during their fight. Moreover, the Stockton native seemed to be getting started with MMA before finishing out their initial boxing match.
Nate Diaz will rematch Jake Paul in MMA
For the most part, many are keen to see Nate get the rematch in MMA, as far as his boxing performance was concerned, many were left unimpressed with some of the things Diaz did. For one, Diaz’s repetitive disengagements, along with a lack of power punching were frustrating for many. Moreover, the 10oz gloves made it seem as though Diaz’s ‘pillow hands’ hardly had any effect on his opponent.
Despite that, Nate did have a few moments and a few closely contested rounds, which had the fans cheering for him. Having collected somewhat of a ‘moral victory’, Nate was in high spirits during and after the fight. Notably, Diaz attempted a guillotine choke in the ninth round and showed a lot of durability throughout the fight. Even Jake complimented the UFC veteran’s toughness after the fight.
In the post-fight press conference that followed, Nate revealed that he was willing to rematch Jake ‘in any art’. As such, a co-promotion by the PFL and Real Fight Inc. is likely to be the next step for the two fighters. Initially, Nate revealed that he was barely injured and did not get cut, meaning that he would be ready to fight soon. Having stated that he could be back within 3-4 months, it now appears that they will push the fight to early next year.
Whilst Nate is naturally favored in the MMA rematch, the fight could be much more competitive. Although Nate thrives in the grappling and jiu-jitsu departments, Jake has a background in wrestling. In addition to that, Jake is better than Nate at boxing, whilst the veteran has decades of MMA experience. With that said it will be an interesting matchup, one that fans will be eagerly waiting for next year.