Jake Paul and former UFC fighter Nate Diaz will face each other in a pay-per-view boxing match at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on August 5.
The fight was announced on Wednesday as an eight-round match at the 185-pound weight class, and the boxers will use 10-ounce gloves.
The match will be Diaz’s first fight outside UFC in 15 years, his first since leaving the organization, and his first-ever boxing match.
Diaz fought most of his career in the 155-pound class and recently competed in the 170-pound class. He spent 15 years in the UFC, posting a 21-13 record, headlining 10 events, becoming the Ultimate Fighter in 2007, and most recently defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September.
Paul is an actor/YouTube personality who became a professional boxer in 2020. He has a 6-1 record while fighting between 183.6 and 191.5 pounds. He is 3-0 in his previous matches against UFC fighters and is coming off his first career loss in a split decision against Tommy Fury.
“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations,” Paul said in a statement according to ESPN. “Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.”
Diaz and Paul have been feuding for years, and the situation escalated with a backstage confrontation at a boxing event in October.
“In choosing to make his boxing debut against Jake Paul, Nate found an opponent where there is an organic, non-scripted backstory that motivates him and will clearly capture the excitement of audiences throughout the world,” ESPN reports Zach Rosenfield, president of Diaz’s promotion company, Real Fight Inc, said in a statement.
No other details or fights have been announced for the August 5 event.