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There was a lot of action this past weekend in the world of combat sports with UFC Nasvhille going down in Nashville, Tenn., and “Paul vs. Diaz” taking place in Dallas, Texas. In the main event of the UFC Nashville, Cory Sandhagen defeated Rob Font (recap) while Tatiana Suarez choked out Jessica Andrade in the co-main event (highlights).
Over in the boxing arena, Amanda Serrano picked up her second win over Heather Hardy after dominating her in the rematch (video here). But the fight that stole the show was Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz.
Diaz was making his boxing debut after finally getting the UFC shackles off him against a man who was slowly turned into a legitimate boxer while making business waves in all aspects of the sports combat world.
After a slow start, Diaz slowly started to find his groove and began to score some points against Paul, the more accomplished boxer of the two. But despite landing some decent shots and winning a round or two, the fight belonged to Paul from the onset, who knocked the Stockton slugger halfway through the fight.
But the fight also showed why Diaz is so beloved by his fan base. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking and, believe it or not, he is a showman inside the ring/cage. The showcase also revealed something more important: Diaz isn’t that great of a boxer.
As tough as it is to hear for some of you, it’s the truth.
His style was unorthodox, he lacks power, he leaves himself open for big shots and — as durable as he is — it can’t be good for long-term health. Despite all that, his durability allowed him to weather the storm and make it all 10 rounds. While he didn’t get the win, Diaz once again upped his popularity and stock after the fight.
Now that he is no longer under contract with UFC, Diaz has the freedom to do what he chooses with his career…and he has options. He has a $10 million offer on the table to run it back against Paul in a MMA cage, a potential fight that heavily favors Diaz.
But something tells me that won’t be happening anytime soon.
He can always look for another boxing payday, but at this point who out there can he face that will draw the same attention as it did with Paul? The Stockton slugger did proclaim that he would return to the Octagon once he settled his business with “The Problem Child,” but if he does that then the promotion will likely want to lock him down long-term again, which means no more boxing fights and definitely no PFL scrap against Paul.
All that said, what do you think is the next best move for Diaz?
For complete Paul vs. Diaz results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
