Nate Diaz Teases Possible UFC Return After Boxing Match With Jake Paul

There's a chance that Diaz may return to the promotion where he first made a name for himself.

Drew Beaupré | Aug 3, 2023

Nate Diaz Teases Possible UFC Return After Boxing Match With Jake Paul /

Nate Diaz says his next fight after boxing Jake Paul will probably be in MMA, and he hasn’t ruled out the chances of potentially making a return to the UFC.

The 38-year-old is currently preparing for the first boxing bout of his combat sports career when he meets Jake Paul on August 5 in Dallas, Texas.

Diaz fought out his UFC contract when he submitted Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 279 last year, and it didn't take long for him to book his boxing debut against "Problem Child" after a brief period as a free agent.

It’s been somewhat of an open question during the lead up to his matchup with Paul whether Diaz was planning to seriously pursue a career in boxing, and while speaking to Ariel Helwani on a special edition of The MMA Hour he was asked if he expected his next fight to be in MMA.

Nate Diaz submits Tony Ferguson. — (Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)

“Yeah, probably.” Diaz answered “I’m not thinking past this, right now I said I’ll get that done and then know what I wanna do. I have ideas…It’s probably either be back in the UFC, or do something like this in an MMA style.”

Both Nate and his brother Nick have had a complicated relationship with the UFC during their fighting careers, but there’s no denying that he's one of the bigger stars in the promotion's history thanks to his pair of fights with Conor McGregor and the loyal following both brothers have cultivated among MMA fans.

As exciting as the idea of Diaz returning to the UFC may be, any future plans will have to wait until after he tries to become the first former MMA fighter to get the best of Paul in the boxing ring when they square off this Saturday at the American Airlines Center.

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Published Aug 3, 2023