Even with Jake Paul singing his praises, Nate Diaz wasn’t sitting around for a recent face-to-face interview with his upcoming opponent.
Ahead of their August 5 boxing bout, Paul and Diaz were brought in alongside host Ariel Helwani to make a final promotional push for the event. And let’s be clear, Diaz has not been a willing partner when it comes to Paul’s antics, refusing to take the bait on any trash talk.
Few, however, expected to see him bounce from the interview early, while Paul was essentially giving him some shin.
“He’s a warrior. He’s put on some of the greatest fights in the history of MMA,” Paul said of the Stockton native, who stood up, told the production “I’ll be right back,” then exited the building and sped off in a waiting SUV.
Oh my.
Today’s face-to-face with Jake and Nate ended … prematurely. 😅
Full video out tomorrow via @DAZNBoxing. pic.twitter.com/QHb6rztQ1C
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 2, 2023
The full interview is expected to drop, well, eventually.
The much ballyhooed boxing bout sees Paul looking to bounce back from a loss to Tommy Fury, while Diaz competes for the first time since parting ways with the UFC off a win over Tony Ferguson last September at UFC 279.
During a media event on Wednesday that included an “On the Road” edition of The MMA Hour, Diaz addressed his lack of promotion. “Sometimes less is more, I believe.”
He also addressed leaving the interview. Well, sort of. “I came back, and all you f*ckers were gone,” exclaimed Diaz. “Were you guys there?” The media, in fact, had not been present during that original interview moderated by Helwani. “You guys left. I came out the bathroom, and there was no people in the place. You guys left.”
Reminded that no one from the media had actually been there in the first place, Diaz bounced yet again. “It was good talking to you guys, I gotta get going.”
Classic Nate Diaz.
