The fans can stop looking forward to a Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul boxing bout, according to UFC president Dana White.
UFC superstar Nate Diaz will finally finish out his contract with the promotion in September after months of campaigning for it. He has competed in the promotion since 2007 when he won TUF season 5.
In his last bout with the promotion, he is set to compete against the rising welterweight Khamzat Chimaev. UFC will take advantage of Diaz’s star power as the pair will headline the UFC 279 PPV card.
Diaz has been asking for his release from the promotion for a while now. The 37-year-old has been saying that he got “things to do” outside of the UFC.
One of the rumored things is a boxing bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
However, Dana White in a recent interview shot down the rumor. White revealed that in a talk with Diaz, the Stockton native said “I would never do that.”
“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.”
While many including UFC longtime color commentator Joe Rogan weren’t a fan of the matchup, White was confident that it will be an interesting match up.
Chimaev is a wrecking ball bulldozing towards the 170 and 185 lbs division. The No.3-ranked welterweight has won five straight wins in the promotion and is undefeated in 11 total bouts.