During a recent appearance on Theo Von’s podcast, MMA icon Nate Diaz didn’t hold back when discussing his ongoing rivalry with Jake Paul.
Addressing whether the UFC played a role in building Paul’s popularity in combat sports, Diaz argued that Paul’s rise was closely tied to competing against former UFC names.
“Even Jake Paul’s f**king a** over here having a beef with the UFC,” he said. “I’m like, the UFC made you, motherf**ker. Because you found a loophole when you went and boxed a bunch of UFC athletes. I know too, I’m in on the joke. MMA athletes cannot box.”
Diaz also revisited their previous boxing match, maintaining that he believes he deserved the victory despite the official result going Paul’s way. He acknowledged that many fans shared the same sentiment but admitted he wasn’t surprised by how the judges scored it.
“Even with Paul, I feel like I beat him,” he said. “But it was his big show, so it’s like, okay, all right. I know from experience I’m not winning decisions even if I do. Watch that match again, don’t just read the punch count. Do your own count, not someone else’s. I won that match too.”
When asked whether he took anything away from the experience on the business side, Diaz stated, “I seen it developing. I could see them picking up game and understanding that. I’m always learning something about something. Every experience, you’re picking up as you go.”
Diaz then made his long-term intentions clear, explaining that his current independence from major promotions is part of a bigger plan, one that leads back to Paul.
“I’m not working for f**king MVP like all these other motherf**kers are,” he said. “I’m a UFC star. I’m working for me, for real figh ting. And I’m hunting Jake Paul.”
Looking ahead, Diaz pointed to his upcoming bout against Mike Perry as the immediate priority, but he framed it as a stepping stone toward a potential MMA clash with Paul.
“What do you think I’m doing here? I’m on the hunt,” he said. “I got to compete against Perry, get through that match, it’s a really big task at hand, and then we get the Paul match.”
Diaz acknowledged that Paul has publicly talked about transitioning to MMA, though he remains cautiously optimistic about whether it will actually happen.
“He says that. We’ll see,” Diaz said. “I think he will, though. Talk is projecting it into existence, he does that good. So yeah.”
