As Nate Diaz is done with his painful saga with the UFC, the Stockton native will finally have the opportunity to pursue his dream of competing as a professional boxer.
Diaz was in action for one last time in the UFC Octagon against Tony ‘El Cuccy’ Ferguson in the main event of the UFC 279. The Stockton gangster left the promotion on a happy note as he overcame the challenge of Ferguson by submitting him in the fourth round.
And with that said, Diaz fought out his contract and is now a free agent.
The 37-year-old is now visualizing a fight in the boxing ring and has the ambitions of launching his own MMA promotion soon as well.
Diaz was talking to iD Boxing and revealed what compels him to take up boxing this late.
“From 17 or 18 years old, I was starting to fight, I was boxing with my boxing coach. There were boxers all over my gym, and I was going to box initially, but MMA shows were more around my area, and they were happening, so I got stuck in MMA,” Diaz told iD Boxing.
“I got stuck in a cage this whole time with contracts and stuff. Now everything is open for the taking. I never stopped training for a boxing fight since I started fighting.”
Diaz isn’t short of ideas when it comes to choosing his probable opponent for his ring debut. Lately, the social media star and the Youtuber, Jake Paul has been reverberating Diaz’s name in the media, claiming that he would take the Stockton native to the cleaners if the two ever share the ring in the future.
And when asked about Paul’s claims, Diaz says he has no problem in taking up that fight rather this idea also intrigues him.
“He’s for sure one of the options. He’s doing big stuff. He’s doing big things. He’s got a big fight ahead of him. If he wins that, I’m sure people will be really impressed by it. And if Anderson (Silva) does his thing on him, that’s impressive also. Now we’ve got a fight on his hands. I’m looking forward to it,” Diaz added.
Paul also reiterated the possibility of a matchup during a press conference last week for his upcoming bout against MMA legend Anderson Silva. Paul said he “100 percent” wants to fight Diaz.