On Wednesday, Jake Paul announced that he will face Diaz on August 5 inside the ring. Paul will no longer face Tommy Fury in an immediate rematch.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is known for his victories against Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren. Now, Nate Diaz will be the next MMA superstar to face him in the ring.
Edwards recently expressed his belief that Diaz’s experience and skill set makes him a formidable opponent for Paul, especially after Paul’s recent loss to Tommy Fury.
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is confident that Nate Diaz will come out on top in his upcoming boxing match against Jake Paul. Edwards even acknowledged that he may compete against Paul in the ring at some point, but not anytime soon as he is focused on his UFC career.
Paul opened as a heavy betting favorite.
When asked by talkSPORT Drive whether he thinks Diaz would win, the 31-year-old responded by saying: “Yeah, 100 per cent. Nate comes from a boxing background.”
“Him and his brother Nick, even in mixed martial arts, they also use their boxing to win fights. If I had to pick out of the two, I would probably edge towards Nate. He is tough, he is durable, great cardio. Seeing Jake Paul’s last fight against Tommy Fury, yeah I’d edge towards Nate.”
When asked about the possibility of competing against a YouTuber like Paul in the future, Edwards said that he was open to the idea. However, he emphasized that his current focus is on his UFC career.
Edwards stated: “Yeah. Why not! Obviously, not now. I am in the prime of my career. I am focused on the UFC, but after that, why not. I am a great striker, I enjoy the striking part of it so if that opportunity presents itself down the line, for sure.”