So you know how Jake Paul loves to put on a show before his boxing fights, right? Well, he tried to do the same thing with Nate Diaz this time around, setting up a ‘face-to-face’ chat moderated by combat sports commentator Ariel Helwani. The whole idea is to churn up some last-minute drama before the fight week. But Diaz? He’s not having any of it.
Nate Diaz via Fighthype.com YouTube
Despite Paul’s attempts to stir the pot, Diaz has stayed pretty quiet, avoiding the usual trash talk and keeping a low profile on social media. Now, this is getting on Paul’s nerves. He’s moaned about how “boring” Diaz has been in the lead-up, and you can tell he’s worried about how this might affect the event’s PPV buys.
“That’s what I wanted – that’s why I signed up for this – is to give the people a show and to squash this beef,” Paul had remarked in previous interviews. “He talked a lot more shit to me before we signed up to fight. So, he’s kind of being a b—ch in that sense. I expected more out of him, and I expected him to carry that gangster attitude and to not take my insults. But he’s pretty much rolled over like a b—ch and has been quite boring, which pisses me off. But I’m used to carrying these promotions. It’s no different in this one.”
But really, Paul shouldn’t be surprised. Walking out of face-offs is pretty much a Diaz trademark. Him and his brother are known for doing things their way and not really giving a hoot about what others expect. You gotta love their anti-establishment vibe.
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
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Diaz made it clear that he’s not going to play Paul’s game just because he’s the promoter. And honestly, Paul should’ve seen this coming. Diaz did warn him, after all.
“That’s his problem,” Diaz had also previously said. “I think my fighting from over the years promotes my fights, and I’m not gonna get into a little kid argument with the guy and act like it isn’t realer than it is.
“I don’t talk a bunch of s—t like he wants to do, I don’t want to see him talk s—t and go back and forth.”
“I don’t care,” Diaz said. “I’m in an important point of my career where it’s like, I’m not trying to scare anybody, I’m not trying to fool anybody. If people want to watch, that’d be great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.
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“That’s where [Paul] got me twisted. I’m not in a gimmick fight with him. Man, I only need him to know that I’ll whoop his ass. I don’t need the whole world. I don’t need to go begging for people to watch. Don’t watch.”
Despite having a guaranteed big paycheck and no cut from the pay-per-view, Nate Diaz’s lack of interest in promoting the fight is amusingly noticeable. His nonchalance and withdrawal from media duties have drawn even more attention. Diaz’s ‘couldn’t-care-less’ attitude and non-traditional way of handling promotion actually make headlines and work to his favor.
Jake Paul and Nate Diaz will be fighting Saturday, August 5th at 8pm on DAZN PPV and ESPN+.
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