Jake Paul offers Nate Diaz two-fight deal – boxing match then MMA – after joining PFL
In the wake of signing with the PFL, Jake Paul has made an offer to Nate Diaz.
On Thursday, Paul announced that he has signed a multifight, multiyear contract with PFL and will compete in a new division, known as Super Fight, with events on pay-per-view. His first challenge: Diaz, who recently became a free agent after a long UFC tenure.
Paul is targeting two bouts against Diaz – first a boxing match, followed by an MMA fight in the PFL.
“I’ve already disrupted boxing, and now it’s time to disrupt MMA,” Paul said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “I know this is such a tough sport, and it’s not going to be easy, but if I could do it in boxing, I could do it in MMA. …
“I’m so dedicated to this that I offered Nate Diaz a two-fight deal. First we box. Then six months later we fight MMA in the PFL smart cage and lay it all on the line. If that’s not balls, then I don’t know what is. Nate Diaz, I’m down to fight you in your own damn sport. It’s a two-fight deal. Let’s make it happen.”
Paul, who is 6-0 as a professional boxer, already has a history with MMA fighters, having scored knockouts of former champs Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in 2021 and a decision win over ex-UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva this past October.
Paul and Diaz have long flirted with the idea of boxing each other, culminating in a confrontation between Diaz and members of Paul’s team at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., prior to the Silva fight.
Paul, 25, has long expressed interest in competing in MMA, and he will now get to do that – but he’s playing a much larger role than just fighting.
“Not only am I an MMA fighter now officially signed to an organization, but I am also a co-founder of the new PFL pay-per-view Super Fight division,” Paul said. “I will be the head of fighter advocacy and as the head of fighter advocacy, I’m going to use my platform to market PFL fighters and introduce them to my fans worldwide. I personally will be deeply involved in making sure that the PFL is the best place in the world for fighters.
“As you guys know, I’ve been trying to increase fighter pay for all fighters worldwide. With the launch of this new PFL Super Fight division, our fighters will be receiving 50 percent of the revenue. A true 50-50 partnership with fighters that still allows them to be individual and even monetize their own sponsorship deals, which, as we know, isn’t allowed in the UFC.”
