Jake Paul targeting Nate Diaz after Ben Askren: ‘He wants to do it as well’

Jake Paul vs. former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight king Ben Askren is officially on. Despite that, the YouTube star is already thinking ahead.

Having directed trash talk and video call outs at several of MMA’s most notable names, Paul hasn’t left out Stockton’s Nate Diaz. Unsurprisingly, The Ultimate Fighter season 5 winner has fired back at the younger Paul brother where he’s responded saying Jake “needs his ass beat for free”.

Well, according to Paul, Diaz has taken the bait to a degree that could see it actually happen.

“Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is going to happen,” Paul told Heavy. “We’re talking to Diaz’s team. He wants to do it as well. He has two more fights with the UFC apparently. So we’ll see what happens. If he frees up from the UFC, that’s the fight.”

Similar to Askren who is next in line for Paul in their April 17 boxing affair, Diaz will either need permission from the UFC or to fight out his contract. Otherwise, the fight is nothing but a pipedream. And in all reality, it would be hard to imagine the promotion allowing such a spectacle to take place without getting something in return.

Just 24-years-old, Paul is 2-0 in his professional boxing career. However, Askren will be the first time he’s actually fought a professional fighter.

Paul last stepped into the ring in November when he knocked out former NBA basketball player Nate Robinson in the second round. Prior to that, his debut came in January 2020 when he TKO’d a fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib, in the first round.

Both contests were scheduled for six rounds whereas the Askren match is set for eight.

As for Diaz, he’s been out of action since November 2019 when he fought Jorge Masvidal for the BMF title at UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for the Stockton native, Masvidal earned the victory in the third round after two cuts around Diaz’s eye forced the doctor’s stoppage.