DALLAS – Jake Paul swears a delve into the MMA waters will happen in the not-so-distant future, whether the fans believe him or not.
Following his boxing match win by unanimous decision Saturday at American Airlines Center, Paul (7-1) immediately offered opponent Nate Diaz (0-1) a $10 million purse for an MMA rematch in PFL, a promotion Paul is a brand ambassador for.
According to Paul, the offer isn’t just some sort of publicity stunt.
“It’s real,” Paul told MMA Junkie. “I’ve always been real about it. I want to make history by going to MMA and making it a massive event. No boxers go over to MMA. The MMA fighters go to boxing. I want to respect their sport. I grew up as an MMA fan. In the PFL SmartCage, the offer is there. If he accepts it, you’re going to see me throw elbows and kicks.”
Diaz, 40, indicated he wants another boxing match, but Paul thinks that ship has sailed. MMA is the way he signs up for any sort of rematch.
“I think that’s it,” Paul said. “I think that’s it. Now it’s time for me to go into the cage and into their sport and into their realm. Hopefully they’ll respect that. I’m down to learn a new craft. I think I’m going to be amazing at it.”
Since his expansion into combat sports in 2018, Paul has faced a wave of detractors, dismissers, and haters. A move to MMA will only amplify them, predicts Paul, who also forecasted what they’ll say.
“They’ll say it’s rigged,” Paul said. “They’ll say he got paid to take a dive because they won’t even believe it. I’m going to show them the impossible and prove to the kids out there that you can do anything if you’re crazy enough.”
Check out MMA Junkie’s full post-fight interview with Paul above.
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.