Nate Diaz likely earned more from Jake Paul boxing loss than entire UFC career, report breaks down how ex-UFC star made millions
UFC legend Nate Diaz lost his professional boxing debut against influencer boxer Jake Paul last Saturday. However, the Stockton native might have made significant monetary gains from the boxing showdown.
Depending on how well the pay-per-views sell, the 38-year-old's total earnings for the fight might even dwarf his entire UFC career earnings, in comparison.
Per a breakdown by Bloody Elbow based on an interview given by Diaz's business partner Zach Rosenfield to ESPN, the MMA star's fight purse for the event is expected to touch eight figures.
Rosenfield is a long-time representative of Diaz and a co-founder of the MMA star's fight promotion, Real Fight Inc.
The fight with Paul was reportedly a joint venture, with both fighters covering the event cost together and splitting the proceeds equally. That means Nate Diaz and Jake Paul will get an even split of the total revenue generated for the event.
The ex-UFC star and 'The Problem Child' will make a 50-50 split of proceeds from the pay-per-view, ticket, and merchandise sales for the fight. The live gate for the event is projected to bag $3 million, and per Rosenfield, the fighters are set to earn seven figures from just the sponsorships.
The fighters will also have joined ownership of the fight footage of the event. Depending on how well the fight card performed, Nate Diaz's total fight purse might be somewhere in the range of $15-20 million.
"I would've picked him up and slammed him" - Jake Paul talks about Nate Diaz choking him during their boxing match
There was a moment during last weekend's Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing clash when it almost seemed like the Stockton native instinctively put Jake Paul in a guillotine choke.
Nate Diaz put Jake Paul in the guillotine then threw his hands up.
Legend! 😂
#PaulDiaz pic.twitter.com/shmNYVnTEe
During an interview with ESPN after his statement win, 'The Problem Child' revealed that Diaz really did choke him during their fight. Furthermore, he claimed that he would've defended it effectively were it an MMA bout:
"I'm with the MMA, I'm with the MMA," said Paul laughing. "He was actually choking me so. It was funny... I could've got out of it. I would've dropped to a double leg if it was MMA and picked him up and slammed him on his head."
Catch Jake Paul's comments below (1:39):