Jake Paul will return to his fighting roots by facing an MMA star this coming weekend in the form of UFC legend, Nate Diaz.
The DAZN-broadcast event goes down at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and will be the second highest recorded gate that the venue has seen, as per the promotion.
It’s a must-win for Paul and his fledgling career following a loss to Tommy Fury – the first man he had faced that had a good amount of professional boxing experience.
Luckily for him, he’s 3-0 over former UFC fighters, having already beaten Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley twice and Anderson Silva. Diaz has been complimented by boxers he’s sparred with, but at 38-years-old and making his pro debut, the odds are stacked against him.
What he does bring is entertainment, and Paul’s promotions rarely pass without a headline or two. The first of this instalment is a brawl on stage at the press conference, captured by Boxing Social below.
Following a relatively heated back and forth on the microphones, the fighters’ teams got into a scuffle that was eventually stopped by security. Tensions are expected to remain high at tomorrow’s weigh-in.
Should Paul come through as expected by the bookmakers, he will likely look to rematch Fury, who boxed him over eight rounds in February of this year, surviving a knockdown to win a split decision.
The fight card from Diriyah, Saudi Arabia was a marketing and financial success, and the Diaz event is expected to follow suit.