Nate Diaz has opened up on how he is looking to finish Jake Paul as soon as possible. 

The pair will face each other on August 5th, 2023, in a crossover boxing event. Diaz will be making his boxing debut, as Paul seeks to bounce back from his split-decision loss to Tommy Fury.

But given that Diaz is known for being an MMA star, with fewer limitations on what he can use to stop his opponent, getting in the boxing ring is clearly a unique experience. With that being said, Nate played down the seriousness of the sport. 

Diaz’s Comments

"It’s f——- played out to me and burned a little bit….It’s funny people get it confused with the competitiveness in the boxing ring. The boxers talk a lot of sh!t … but these aren’t real fights. They are boxing. You might as well be playing basketball. It’s not even a real fight. It’s participating in a piece of a fight," Diaz

Nevertheless, Diaz is intent on getting a victory as soon as possible. The ten-round bout is not something Diaz is accustomed to given that MMA rounds last three minutes each, with five rounds during a fight.

Therefore, there is a risk that Diaz could gas out at some point in the fight. That is why Nate is keen on finishing Paul as soon as possible. 

"I’d rather have the fight be three rounds. The quicker the better. You think I am going in there to play around and stay in there all day long? I’m going in there to finish the fight as soon as possible. He’s bigger than me. I’ve been fighting at 170 pounds. He’s a big, strong f—,"

Paul On Diaz

Much in the same way, Paul has vowed to stop Diaz in the fifth round when they meet on fight night. 

The ‘Problem Child’ continues his role in facing former UFC stars following wins over Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Ben Askren. But when it comes to Diaz, the match-up could be intriguing.

Diaz is still very much active in combat sports following his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022. Not only that, but Diaz has indicated his intention to return to the UFC at some point in the future. 

"100% I’ll be doing MMA again and boxing again, probably grappling, and wrestling, and all that sh!t. They are always counting me out, so it’s nothing new. There are a lot of haters out there, so they get to see what’s up. Most people don’t know sh!t about boxing," Diaz

As for Paul, another defeat following the Tommy Fury loss, may damage his ability to command big-name fights and put on huge events. 

As such, Paul is intent on making a big statement.

"My prediction is a fifth-round knockout. I’m not concerned. I know I want it more and I know what I did in training, and we had people that mimic exactly how he fights. And yeah, he’s going to maybe land a couple of punches, that’s the name of the game. That only wakes me up. I’m going to get hit and hit him harder, and keep on going and weather the storm and end his career," Paul

And by the looks of it, things got a little personal. Paul admitted that he was not the biggest fan of Diaz’s antics outside the fight game.

This was most notably seen when Diaz was pictured choking a Logan Paul look-alike by the name of Rodney Petersen.

The New Orelans Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for Nate Diaz on a charge of second-degree battery, per @MMAFightingSM pic.twitter.com/kukzKpfjN2

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 24, 2023

As a result, a police warrant was issued as there were worries that the fight with Paul may not happen. Although this hurdle has been navigated, Paul is keeping this personal. 

"I respect his career, I don’t respect him as a person. There’s a difference. He’s a bully, he’s a punk. He beats up innocent people. He’s always trying to cause a scene, throwing water bottles at people. He’s always high. Like, what kind of example is that to set to everyone, just smoking all the f****** time? I don’t like these things about him. And someone has to bully the bully, and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday," Paul 

Paul’s Retirement

Nevertheless, a defeat may end Paul’s career for good. His manager, Nakisa Bidarian, admitted as much since a rematch with Tommy Fury would be out of the question.

But even if that were the case, Paul has managed to forge a career in boxing outside of the ring with his ‘Most Valuable Promotions’ company.

Signing major fighters such as the undisputed featherweight champion, Amanda Serrano, just goes on to show Paul’s pulling power. However, he must get a victory over Diaz come fight night. 

"He may retire if he loses to Nate Diaz. His boxing career is on the line, in terms of being one of the top three or four guys in the entire sport globally.

"I think if he was to lose, he’d just go to being another prospect that’s coming up in the ring," Nakisa Bidarian

You can stay up-to-date with the latest happenings in the world of boxing and MMA by visiting boxingblitz right here.