The Allure of Bragging Rights Will Anchor Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz

By
Gabriel Gonzalez
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Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz Weigh-ins. Photo: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions

With changes in their future looming, the strong personalities of Jake Paul and Nate Diaz will want bragging rights more often than usual when they collide tonight.

Credit where its due: Jake Paul has been the engine that kicked off the trend of influencer boxing that has been the most novel innovation that sport has enjoyed in many years.  Regardless of the fact that he has pursued far more decorated competition than his influencer peers, he remains the premiere celebrity boxer of Generation Z and the one against whom all others are compared to when they enter the squared circle.

But entering Saturday, “The Problem Child” is on the cusp of his next chapter.  He has his MMA debut next year in the PFL, and it could be the largest blow ever dealt to the UFC from the competition if a deal gets done to feature both himself and Francis Ngannou on the same event.  In boxing, the future is more of a mystery.  He has the platform to show he’s grown from his loss to Tommy Fury, but what he does with it if he wins is less certain.  Is the wick running out after burning through ex-UFC stars that can hold up their end as the B-side in big events with him?  It is beginning to feel so, and engagement on this latest event suggests the fans more than ever desire something new from Paul in boxing.

Nate Diaz, like his brother before him, has never been afraid to do his own thing.  With any number of MMA options available to him, he choose instead to take the largest single fight payday in a different sport in taking the fight with Paul.  In doing so, he joins the small but growing number of fighters to leave a large organization while still in-demand in order to maximize their profit on the free agent market.  From a business perspective, the fight on paper is an easy sell in the world.  Diaz and Paul have large followings and strong personalities that were expected to compliment the familiar style matchup of youth and size versus skill and experience.

But the talk has been light until this week, and Diaz is the one with the most to lose in this scenario.  The expected pre-fight hype has been subdued until the two began their rounds of media and that has led to questions about how well the two will be able to draw on pay-per-view.  For Diaz, a loss and a disappointing payout if the fight doesn’t sell would be two-fold and could hurt his stock as he begins his return to MMA.  Furthermore, his highly popular persona as the take on all-comers tough guy from the streets of Stockton could suffer a blow if he were to come up short against a young contender who years prior was more known for appearing on YouTube and the Disney Channel.

Jake Paul has a debut in MMA coming up, but the schedule may offer the opportunity for another boxing matchup before then should he emerge unscathed on Saturday.  Should that be a rematch with Tommy Fury or perhaps against fellow mega-influencer turned boxer KSI remains to be seen.  As for Diaz, the possibility of the UFC and Conor McGregor changing plans for a much desired trilogy between himself and “The Notorious” is likely to be the biggest fight on the table.  Should Diaz defeat Paul on Saturday, it’s expected it could be enough to get the deal done should McGregor and Diaz be looking for a one-off as opposed to a multiple fight deal in negotiations.

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