CLEVELAND, OHIO: Former UFC champion Nate Diaz almost agreed to a boxing match against Logan Paul before deciding to face his younger brother Jake Paul.
Zach Rosenfield, one of Diaz's advisors, reportedly stated that there was a "very interesting and attractive offer" for Diaz to fight Logan Paul, but the former MMA fighter lost interest in the proposition when WWE became involved, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi.
‘I fight for real’
"The WWE came in and then they wanted to take over the whole thing. And I'm like, 'I just got out of the UFC, why am I going to sign with WWE?' I fight for real. I'm not gonna be doing a real fight on a WWE card or no funny s--t like that," Nate stated, as per Raimondi.
Logan Paul, who has competed in multiple battles for WWE since making his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, termed Diaz's defense a "weak cop-out."
"You can still be a real fighter with the biggest sports organization in the world promoting your fight. It's a little lame to me, and I can definitely sell more tickets. I see what he's doing. I'm the harder fight. I'm the bigger brother, I'm the stronger brother, I'm the faster brother," Logan said.
Raimondi claimed that Diaz vs Logan Paul was "very close" to happening at the time when Logan told Jake that the match would go place before Diaz declined.
Jake Paul takes on Nate Diaz
Diaz and Jake Paul turned to one another, and their fight was scheduled for August 5 as a result. Diaz, a 38-year-old veteran who has competed in mixed martial arts for 21 years and has won matches against Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and Tony Ferguson, is making his professional boxing debut.
Jake Paul, 26, who made his professional debut in 2020 and has since gone 6-1 with victories against former MMA stars like Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva, has the advantage in experience when it comes to boxing.
Regarding Logan Paul, he fought professionally in 2019 against fellow YouTuber KSI and then faced Floyd Mayweather Jr in an exhibition fight in 2021, although lately, he has been more interested in pro wrestling.
As Jake Paul and Diaz eventually square off at SummerSlam on Saturday, Logan's career, which has been rising in the WWE, might soar to new heights.
