Nate Diaz may well be only days away from leaving the UFC forever. He’s all set for the final fight of his UFC contract, a headliner at UFC 279 against Khamzat Chimaev. Diaz may well end up looking at big-money novelty fights, like boxing Jake Paul, as his next career move, so it’s no surprise that Stockton’s favorite son is keeping an eye on the YouTuber’s activities.
With Jake Paul all set to box former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Diaz shared his prediction for the fight at the UFC 279 media day. Diaz, who recently launched his own fight promotion, Real Fight Inc, stated that he is “interested in all combat”.
Nate Diaz: Anyone Betting Against Anderson Silva is “Stupid”
“I didn’t like when [Anderson] fought [Julio] Cesar Chavez Jr. and I think it might have been the organization they were fighting under or whatever but they were talking all surprised that Anderson was beating Chavez Jr. Respect to Chavez Jr and senior and all of boxing but I’m like, why are they talking like it’s surprising?
The analysts, when the fight was happening, I thought why are they acting like they’re surprised Anderson Silva was doing good? It’s like what do you even think Chavez Jr. was doing in there with Anderson Silva? They considered him the GOAT in the UFC for a long time and there was no appreciation for that.
I thought that was stupid. I think they’d be stupid if they’re trying to count him out at all in this fight. I see it going a lot of different ways. I also see that Jake Paul can win or do well. He’s young, motivated, strong, inspired to box dudes. I think it makes for an interesting fight.”
If Jake Paul can muster the ability to defeat Anderson Silva, it will mark his third victory over a former UFC champion. The other two were both victories over former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. Jake Paul still has yet to fight a professional boxer, but Anderson Silva, unlike any of Paul’s other opponents, has a boxing record.
Although Silva is best known for his UFC middleweight title reign, the longest in UFC history, he also boasts a 3-1 pro boxing record. His last boxing loss was in 1998, his debut in the sport. Silva’s last fight was a knockout victory over fellow UFC alumnus Tito Ortiz. Is Nate Diaz right about Silva vs Paul? Let us know what you think in the comments.
