"Loves to kiss the fingers of Dana" - Jake Paul responds to Nate Diaz's willingness to return to the UFC
Nate Diaz is set to make his boxing debut against Jake Paul this weekend. This fight will also mark Diaz's first fight as a co-promoter under his combat sports promotion company Real Fight Inc.
Diaz, 38, fulfilled his contractual obligations with the UFC last year and expressed his desire to compete in boxing. The Stockton native's career in the world's premier MMA organization which spanned over sixteen years culminated with a fourth-round submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
Before parting ways with the UFC, Nate Diaz affirmed that he would not dismiss the possibility of a future return to the organization. This conviction has only intensified in the lead-up to his fight against Jake Paul, as Diaz has confirmed in numerous interviews that he envisions a return to the UFC following the upcoming bout this weekend.
Nate Diaz claims he will return to the UFC after Jake Paul fight pic.twitter.com/C1vzK408AP
Nate Diaz's willingness to return to the UFC, however, has left Jake Paul and numerous others perplexed, unable to fathom why the 38-year-old would seek to return to the organization, especially considering the initial challenges he faced when attempting to extricate himself from his contract.
Paul addressed Diaz's openness to a potential comeback in a recent live interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, stating:
"It's weird. I guess he's a house boy and loves to kiss the finger of Dana [White]... Be a good boy and obey all the rules. This might be too much work for him. People don't realize that in boxing when you're your own promoter, everything is different. There's more that goes into it, more press requirements. So he might not like that. He might just like being a fighter and not caring as much about the business side."
Catch Paul's comments below:
Jake Paul asked if he is surprised Nate Diaz is open to going back to the UFC.
#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/spal0cB9MG
Nate Diaz responds to Jake Paul's $10 million MMA offer with firm conditions
Nate Diaz recently addressed Jake Paul's lucrative $10 million offer for an MMA showdown, setting forth some terms following their scheduled 10-round boxing match on Saturday.
Diaz, while not ruling out a possible return to the UFC, has made it clear that any potential MMA bout with Paul must take place in the UFC or under a similar co-promotional arrangement to their current boxing venture. The proposition of fighting in the PFL (Professional Fighters League), where Paul is signed to make his MMA debut, has been swiftly dismissed by Diaz.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Diaz firmly stated:
“I don’t fight for that organization. If we do something, we’re going to do something real. Co-promotion, if anything. It will probably either be back in the UFC, or do something like this in an MMA style, or boxing, either one."
Catch Nate Diaz's comments below (2:30):