Quite a mismatch, right? ‘The Problem Child,’ being a boxer, is getting linked to a fight against a former UFC star, especially when they’ve already had one boxing match in 2023. The root cause of these developments, though, stemmed from Diaz’s comments on Theo Von’s podcast last week.
“What do you think I’m doing here? I’m on the hunt,” Diaz said. “I’m gonna take his (Jake Paul) a– clean out. I’ve gotta fight Perry, get through that fight—which is a really big task at hand—and then we get the Paul fight.”
“I want Nate in MMA,” Jake Paul said. “It’s high on my list of priorities to do that. It’s just the business side. He probably wants a certain amount of money to take the risk in losing to me. I just don’t give a f–k. I have enough money. I got all my sh-t. That’s why these guys are actual ducks, is because you can’t hide behind money anymore. I think it’s going to happen, though.
“If he beats Perry, then me vs. Nate is probably the No. 1 thing on the list. Above Tommy Fury, above Francis Ngannou, above KSI.”
Jake Paul wants an MMA fight with Nate Diaz next: ‘It’s the No. 1 thing on my list’ https://t.co/3zdg2KofP0
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) April 6, 2026
After Nate Diaz departed from UFC, he ventured into boxing. And in his professional boxing debut, Paul stood across the ring as Diaz’s opponent. A full 10-round bout saw the YouTuber-turned-boxer securing a unanimous decision win.
While the victory was convincing, Diaz always disputed the result by claiming an injury, halting his preparations. For that, a discussion surrounding their potential rematch in MMA was always buzzing. But this could actually turn into a possibility soon. However, it still remains predicated on Diaz’s potential win over Mike Perry next month.
Jake Paul predicts Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry
Since making his professional boxing debut in 2020, Jake Paul has quickly risen to stardom. Boasting a record of 12-2, Paul has been in discussions to face Francis Ngannou, KSI, and Canelo Alvarez.
However, all those matchups can wait under one condition. And that will be a potential MMA fight against the former UFC lightweight title challenger, Nate Diaz. But of course, UFC veteran must go through another ex-UFC star, Mike Perry, before that can happen. So, how does Jake Paul see the fight between the two turning out on May 16?
“I think he will [beat Perry],” Paul continued in the aforementioned discussion. “I think he will take him down and submit him.”
Currently, Diaz is the betting underdog in their fight. Like Diaz, Perry has also been away from the octagon since 2021. His last fight was against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 23, where ‘Platinum’ suffered a unanimous decision loss.
So, considering their hiatus from MMA, watching Diaz and Perry will be quite interesting to see. As per Paul, ‘The Stockton Slugger’ comfortably gets the win. If he does, its onto a rematch in MMA.
