After making his mark in boxing, Jake Paul has set his sights on mixed martial arts. Heads turned when his promotions, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), staged its first MMA event two months ago. Jaws dropped after he announced a merger with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the franchise he had left six months ago.

Amid those sharp business moves, Jake Paul hasn’t taken his eyes off his own fighting career. With boxing currently on hold following the knockout loss to Anthony Joshua that left him with a broken jaw, the YouTuber-turned-fighter wants to strike gold in MMA. However, the attempt hasn’t received the reaction Paul likely expected. His call-out to former UFC fighter Nate Diaz, whom he previously defeated in a boxing match, to mark his MMA debut has received strong pushback.

“I’m going to continue to fight. I’m going to get in the MMA,” Jake Paul said at PFL New York at the UBS Arena. “Nate Diaz, yourself, signed the contract. He’s been ducking for a while, actually. You know me; I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight Joshua, I’ll fight Fury, I’ll fight whoever, whenever.

“So, Nate Diaz has been ducking, but yeah, it’s time to sign the contract. We did this merger; everything’s good, everything’s golden. I have a wrestling background. I love proving people wrong. Half the crowd is saying F Jake Paul, but the reason they’re here is because of me.”

That call-out shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, the Cleveland native had already dropped hints about making a comeback in 2027. Fighting under his own promotions makes his task much easier. The bigger question is why Nate Diaz and not any other fighter?

The answer isn’t straightforward. Paul had already beaten Diaz when they met for a ten-round boxing fight three years ago. Ever since, there have been incessant talks about a rematch between the two. However, those attempts continued to fall through.

Given that history, Paul may have zeroed in on Diaz for the simple reason that the Stockton native still remains a popular figure in the MMA community. Facing him in his debut bout will elevate his stock.

To Paul and team, the infamous Stockton Slap must have looked like a favorable matchup to kick off the MMA resume. Fans, however, saw it differently.

Fans turn on Jake Paul after Nate Diaz call-out

“Who is this guy? Looking to milk every retiree for promo money,” one fan wrote. That’s another angle worth considering. While his business and promotional skills remain unparalleled, Paul’s boxing career has always been under scrutiny for the choice of opponents he picked.

From Nate Robinson to Mike Tyson, most of them have been retired or semi-retired professionals, past their prime. The only instances when Paul faced real boxer-fighters were against Tommy Fury, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Anthony Joshua. In two of those instances, he lost.

Against that backdrop, the Stockton native could likely be added. Nate Diaz is 41 years old, visibly out of his best days, and lost his last bout by a second-round TKO to Mike Perry at MVP MMA 1.

Offering a measure-take, another user stated, “You’re a whole heavyweight trying to fight a 155-lber. Where was the energy when Francis called Jake out in MMA? I know Nate wins by sub, but Jake would probably try to make Nate move up in weight so he could have an advantage.”

The point carries some weight. Diaz’s last bout against Perry was a welterweight affair. The chances of Paul cutting weight to meet the Californian at a catchweight appear highly unlikely. For someone whose career has largely been restricted to between 155 and 170 pounds, Diaz would face immense pressure even if the fight is staged at 205 pounds.

Looking back, one user offered a reality check to Paul, saying, “I guess he didn’t learn anything from the AJ fight. 🤦” While that point is valid, it may not necessarily hold true if Paul switches to MMA. He faced heavy odds facing AJ, a former unified heavyweight champion. In contrast, his wrestling-grappling skills, though largely unknown, could serve a definite advantage in addition to his boxing.

Yet a few felt Paul may likely beat Diaz. “Few years ago Nate would kill him. Maybe more like 5 years ago. Right now with Nate at 41, Jake Paul probably actually wins. Kinda sucks but true,” one wrote.

Echoing a similar sentiment, another added, “The funny thing is he’ll probably beat Nate Diaz in an MMA match, not like Nate will wrestle him or throw leg kicks.”

A prime-time Nate Diaz would have dealt with Paul differently. However, at his age, with his skills diminishing, he no longer resembles the fighter he once was.

Taken together, Jake Paul appears to be following a familiar blueprint, where after facing a legitimate fighter, he turns to an opponent who is not only old and likely washed up, hoping to secure a win that will not only come easily but also strengthen his standing in the MMA world.