Today Jake Paul and Nate Diaz held their kickoff press conference, formally announcing their Aug. 5 fight to the world with all the trash talk you’d expect from the two individuals. Paul and Diaz will meet at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX in a scheduled eight rounder. Check out some excerpts of what the fighters had to say below with the full video press conference in the link above.
Diaz on why he opted to face Paul
“My plan in fighting is to always fight the biggest name and the best fighter there are,” Diaz said. “I’ve been trying to get out of the UFC for a long time ‘cause I knew what I was worth, what fighters are worth, and what I should do. It was a long road, but when I was on the way out (Paul) was doing the biggest and best things outside of fighting and in fighting, and I was glad I have a worthy opponent to make an attack on as soon as I got out.”
Paul on choosing Diaz as an opponent
“Nate Diaz was always the plan after Tommy (Fury),” Paul said. “That is what I said even in the build up to Tommy, I said ‘Nate Diaz after Tommy Fury,’ so that was always the plan. I wanted a big fight for a long time, he got out of his UFC contract, and this is probably the biggest fight of the year, only topping me vs. Tommy. So I want to make big fights happen and strike while the iron’s hot. He was a free agent, let’s run it, let’s make it happen, settle the shit talk and I’m ready for war.
“I’m gonna do what Conor McGregor couldn’t do and that’s knock this man out.”
Paul on if he feels like he has pressure to prove he’s a real boxer after losing to Fury
“100%. You know, I’m filled with vengeance, ambition, hunger, drive, more than ever before. I have a lot to prove, two chips on each shoulder, and it’s do or die for me. Truly this fight is do or die. I have to leave it all on the line and I think that’s the same for Nate Diaz. He’s leaving the UFC on a win, he wants to come to this game, make a bunch of money, knock out the YouTuber kid and go back and finish his legacy off. And that’s why this is such an amazing fight.
“I just lost but if he beats me, where does that leave me?! So it’s two people that can’t lose, who don’t want to lose, who never back down and keep on fighting, and that’s why this is war, and I’m ready for war.”
Shortly after a media member asked Diaz his thoughts on taking on someone like Paul given the fact that he prides himself on fighting the best and that Paul isn’t some future Hall of Famer to check off his list.
“I don’t know who you are to say that I’m not a future Hall of Fame boxer,” Paul shot back at a media member. “See, I’ve done more for the sport than any boxer in current history. What has Floyd Mayweather done for women’s boxing? The list goes on. I’ve changed the whole entire game, brought a new 70M followers to the sport, put on bigger PPVs than some of the Hall of Fame guys.
“Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, 800,000 PPV buys. Me vs Tommy, 830,000. So, you want to talk about Hall of Famers, you want to talk about resume? Yeah, I’m building it up, buddy. I just got started in this game.”
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