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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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After suffering a broken jaw in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last December, it appears Jake Paul’s boxing career may be over — or at least on pause.
Paul has shown no interest in getting back into the boxing ring anytime soon after his sixth-round KO to the former WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion.
But that doesn’t mean his combat sports career is over. In fact, quite the opposite. During Friday’s PFL New York fight card, Paul announced he’s transitioning into MMA, and he called out a former UFC title contender to be his debut opponent.
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“I’m going to continue to fight,” Paul said. “I’m going to get into MMA. Nate Diaz, you’re soft. Sign the contract. He’s been ducking [me] for a while, actually. You know me, I’ll fight anybody — I’ll fight Joshua, I’ll fight (Tommy) Fury, I’ll fight whoever, whenever. Nate Diaz has been ducking, but yeah, it’s time to sign the contract.”
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Diaz fought on the inaugural MMA card for Most Valuable Promotions, a company co-founded by Paul that recently announced a merger with the PFL. With the new company working on transitioning to the newly branded MVP MMA, it’s possible a Paul vs. Diaz matchup could serve as the main event of the promotion’s next card.
Some believe Paul has a chance in an MMA fight against Diaz given he defeated him via unanimous decision back in 2023 in a boxing match.
However, Diaz is an accomplished mixed martial artist with a 21-14 professional record and wins over former UFC champions like Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and Gray Maynard, plus former interim UFC champion Tony Ferguson. Not to mention Diaz is a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
But Paul is confident his wrestling pedigree — he was an Ohio amateur wrestler in high school — combined with his boxing skills would give him an edge over Diaz.
“I have a wrestling background,” Paul added. “I love proving people wrong. Half the crowd is saying ‘Ef Jake Paul,’ but the reason they’re here is because of me.”
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