Nate Diaz was injured going into the Jake Paul fight: MMA veteran discloses unheard backstage conversation
It seems Nate Diaz wasn't completely fit going into his boxing match against Jake Paul last month. The Stockton slugger seemingly suffered a back injury in the weeks leading up to the fight.
Diaz faced Paul in a professional boxing contest, billed Ready 4 War, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on August 5. The bout was the result of a long-running feud between the two men, stemming from an altercation involving their teams before Paul's fight against Anderson Silva in October 2022.
While Nate Diaz had his moments during the 10-round affair, Jake Paul managed to outpoint the former UFC star and secure a unanimous decision victory. However, it's recently come to light that an injury may have impaired the Stockton native's performance.
During a recent episode of the Fade On Site podcast, MMA veteran Quinton Jackson revealed that after the Diaz-Paul fight, the former UFC lightweight contender told him that he had a pinched nerve in his back going into the fight. He said:
"He just didn't look like himself. I went to his locker room later, I don't know if he said that in the press, but he was injured. He had a pulled muscle in his back. I said, 'Man, what's wrong with you?' because one of his pecs was smaller than the other. He's like, 'I got a pinched nerve in my back."
Watch the full episode below:
Jake Paul claims Nate Diaz rejected a multi-million MMA fight offer
It's no secret that Jake Paul has been eager to fight Nate Diaz in the cage and has expressed his desire to do so on many occasions. When 'The Problem Child' announced signing with the PFL, he also called out the Stockton slugger for a two-fight deal, hoping Diaz would be his first opponent in MMA after a boxing match.
As mentioned, the two men faced off in the boxing ring last month. After the bout, they appeared to be on cordial terms and even discussed a potential MMA rematch. However, it seems those plans have hit a roadblock.
Paul recently claimed that Diaz turned down a $10 million offer to fight again under MMA rules. In an interview with TMZ Sports, the YouTuber-turned-boxer said:
"We’re at the drawing board right now. Nate Diaz ducked the $10 million offer, so he’s not the badass that everyone said he was... MMA fighters have gone over to boxing, but I want to go over to MMA, and Nate Diaz ducked the offer... I think it was just something that he realized there’s a lot of risk for him."