"Who needs who more?" - Chael Sonnen gives his take on who he sees as the bigger star between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul
Chael Sonnen has revealed who he sees as the bigger pay-per-view star between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul. In an edition of Beyond the Fight with Teddy Atlas, Sonnen alluded to the fact that Paul’s last fight – a rematch against Tyron Woodley in December 2021 – performed poorly and reportedly garnered less than 65,000 PPV buys.
Advising Paul to box Diaz next, Sonnen stated:
“Jake Paul could really use Nate Diaz right now. Having one bad night isn’t enough to go into absolute panic mode. But having a bad night in the world of pay-per-view; it’s a problem. One bad night is a problem.”
Sonnen suggested that it’s rare for a combat sports star to reclaim his peak star power after a failed pay-per-view. Nevertheless, he believes that Paul can recover from the failed December 2021 pay-per-view.
Sources: Have learned that Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 "bombed" on cable/satelitte PPV. Numbers are below November's #AEW Full Gear which did under 65,000 buys on terrestrial TV. Streaming numbers are unknown. #boxing
Additionally, Sonnen claimed that he’s pleaded with Paul not to fight longtime rival Tommy Fury, as the matchup would be a box office failure. Sonnen compared 'The Problem Child' to King Midas, as everything he touched turned to gold for about 18 months up until his rematch against Woodley.
Regardless, Sonnen noted that Paul can regain his momentum but needs to re-strategize and be tactical moving forward. He insinuated that the 25-year-old became an even bigger star than Nate Diaz last year, but currently, Diaz is the bigger star. Sonnen said:
“When it does come down to the question of, ‘Who needs who more?’ I don’t know if that was a completely fair question. May of last year? August of last year? I think that Jake Paul was the bigger star. And that’s a huge compliment I’m giving him. Nate Diaz is a very personal friend of mine, so if I’m saying that Jake Paul is a bigger star than my own friend – You see what? I think there’s an accuracy. I don’t know that that’s still true.”
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss the Diaz-Paul matchup in the video below:
Jake Paul provides a timeline for his return
In a recent Instagram post, Paul (5-0) insinuated that he's primed to compete in his next boxing match. The post’s caption read as follows:
"6-0 coming soon"
Furthermore, the video in the post featured 'The Problem Child' honing his skills and hinting at an August return. Paul said:
"August, I'm back, baby."
Paul’s archrival Tommy Fury withdrew from their fight last December due to a rib injury and chest infection but has been lobbying for their fight to be rebooked. Meanwhile, the Cleveland native has called for a fight against former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. next, besides also challenging MMA megastars like Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and Conor McGregor.