The first few days of 2023 have been absolutely wild for MMA fans, and the chaos isn’t stopping just yet. On Thursday afternoon, Nate Diaz dropped a hint that RIZIN could be his next destination, while Jake Paul turned his attention to Mike Perry.
So just how did this all go down?
Paul announced Thursday morning that he had signed on with the Professional Fighters League, where he will make his MMA debut. He’s also going to help launch the PFL’s super-fight division, and called for a two-fight series with Nate Diaz — with a boxing match, and MMA fight, the idea.
Diaz, however, dropped a hint later in the day that he might be headed to RIZIN.
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) January 5, 2023
Diaz competing for RIZIN isn’t as crazy as it seems. During the RIZIN 40 broadcast on New Year’s Eve, the promotion announced it had signed a deal with Manny Pacquiao, who is set for an exhibition boxing match against an opponent yet to be named. Diaz has been open to boxing, and Pacquiao makes more sense, size-wize, than Jake Paul, who is pretty much two weight classes up from Diaz, who last competed as a welterweight.
Nothing is official, and this could be just a well-timed troll job by Diaz. However, it appears Jake Paul has already turned his attention to Mike Perry. In a video posted on social media, also on Thursday, Paul stated that “Mike Perry it might be your lucky year,” adding “Because, Tommy is running again. If the fans only knew how much money I’m offering Tommy, and he’s still ducking me. It’s pretty sad.”
Paul has long attempted to secure a boxing bout with Tommy Fury, younger half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. The pair were scheduled to face off in December of 2021, with Fury forced out due to illness. Former UFC champ Tyron Woodley replaced Fury, facing Paul for the second time. A second date for Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury was booked for August of last year, with Fury again dropping out of the fight.
Perry, meanwhile, recently revealed that he had signed a contract to face Paul in boxing this February.
Making things a little more interesting, Paul’s video post included the caption “Will it be Fury or Perry? Just boxing or boxing first and MMA second?“
