Following his unanimous decision win over Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Youtube superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul has his sights set on yet another UFC veteran to face inside the boxing ring, Stockton legend Nate Diaz.
Diaz, now 37-years-old, has been competing in professional mixed martial arts since 2004. He and his brother Nick Diaz are two of the most beloved fighters in MMA history. The Diaz brothers were both known inside the Octagon, not only for their exceptional submission game, but also for their boxing skills.
And while Nate’s boxing skills helped make him one of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, his entire MMA career was fought at lightweight (155 lbs.) and welterweight (170 lbs.). Jake Paul has been fighting at cruiserweight (175-200 lbs.) and was 186.5 lbs. when he weighed in against Anderson Silva. That was actually the lightest Paul has weighed for any of his pro bouts.
Former UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who often plays the role of analyst on UFC event broadcasts, shared his thoughts on a potential Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing match on a recent episode of his podcast:
“I don’t hate Nate Diaz. I’ve got nothing against Nate Diaz, I’m a fan of the excitement and the attitude, he’s real. But I don’t think Nate Diaz would beat Jake in a boxing fight, if I’m honest, he’s just too small. At 170, he went 5-5 in the UFC, he was predominantly a lightweight. Size matters. He’s not a boxer, he probably doesn’t have the power that Jake Paul does.”
-Michael Bisping
Jake has shown he has one-punch knockout power. We have not really seen that type of power from Nate. What Nate does do, however, is overwhelm you. Impeccable cardio allows Nate to keep coming forward and put together crisp punch combinations that eventually wear his opponents down.
Is Nate Diaz a better technical boxer that Jake Paul? Absolutely. Nate has been training and sparring with pro boxers most of his career. But Bisping is right when he says “size matters”. Power also matters. Can Nate Diaz defeat Jake Paul in a boxing match? Yes, but in his own best interest, Nate should probably not fight Paul at cruiserweight.
Light heavyweight (168-175 lbs.) would be a much better weight class for Diaz against Paul. The problem is, Paul might not be able to get down to that weight or agree to it. Nate would either need to bulk up to fight at cruiserweight or Jake would need to lose some of his muscle mass to really make it a fair matchup. But as every longtime MMA fan knows, the Diaz brothers are sometimes too tough for their own good and no one would be surprised if Nate agreed to fight Paul at any weight.