Ex-UFC Champion Claims Nate Diaz Was Injured For Jake Paul Fight

Diaz stepped into the boxing ring for the first time last month to face Paul.

Drew Beaupré | Sep 22, 2023

Ex-UFC Champion Claims Nate Diaz Was Injured For Jake Paul Fight /

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has claimed that Nate Diaz was injured heading into his boxing debut against Jake Paul.

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Diaz competed outside of the UFC for the first time since 2006 when he and Paul met in the boxing ring in Dallas, Texas last month. The former UFC title challenger was trying his hand at boxing for the first time, while Paul was looking to add another big name to his record after he suffered the first loss of his career against Tommy Fury.

“The Problem Child” ultimately won a unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining bout, but “Rampage” recently told former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley that Diaz wasn’t competing at full capacity that night.

Nate Diaz Jake Paul Boxing — (Kevin Jaira/USA TODAY Sports)

“[Diaz] just didn't look like himself,” Jackson said on the JAXXON Podcast. "And then I went in his locker room later – I don’t know if he said this in the press, but he was injured...He ain't gonna say, and that’s respect. And I could tell something – I said ‘Man, what’s wrong with you?’ ‘Cause one of his pecs was smaller than the other…He’s like ‘Ah man, I f***ed up. I got a pinched nerve in my back.’"

Fans will likely never know how serious Diaz’s injury was if “Rampage” is to be believed, and even if the former UFC star wasn’t at his best for that fight it’s possible that Paul’s size and boxing experience would still have allowed him to get the win in Dallas.

If Diaz did want to run things back he could always accept Paul’s standing offer for the pair to rematch in an MMA bout under the PFL banner. “The Problem Child” is supposedly still planning on making his MMA debut sometime next year, but so far Diaz hasn't seemed interested in being the 26-year-old's first opponent.

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Published Sep 22, 2023