Michael Bisping believes that Jake Paul’s announced foray into martial arts is just another promotional trick.
“The Problem Child” recently signed with the PFL with plans to compete in MMA and along with that news came a challenge from Paul for Diaz to meet him in a two-fight series that would first take place in a boxing ring and then in a cage under MMA rules. Paul and Diaz have publicly jabbed at each other in the past, with the odds of a clash between the two only increasing with Diaz becoming a free agent following UFC 279 this past September.
Though Diaz would presumably have the advantage in the cage, Bisping doesn’t like that Paul is once again targeting an opponent smaller than him and that he’s dictating terms.
” “It’s just the same story isn’t?,” Bisping stated on his YouTube YouTube channel . It’s the same old story, because Nate Diaz won almost all his fights at 155. A few were at 170,. But he is a lightweight overall. He is a lightweight. Jake Paul is over 200 lbs. I know this because I have been there. He is bigger than Nate Diaz, stronger and faster.
“That’s not me being a Nate Diaz hater, it’s just what my analysis tells me and it’s what your analysis would tell you as well, let’s be honest. So he wants to defeat him in that first fight. Again, that wouldn’t get sanctioned normally, he’s way too big.”
Bisping’s appraisal of the matchup hasn’t changed since November, where he commented on rumors of a potential Paul-Diaz fight, predicting that it would not ‘go very well’ for Diaz. The 18-year MMA veteran ended his UFC run with mixed results, going 4-3 in sporadic appearances since 2015 and most recently defeating Tony Ferguson by fourth-round submission.
Regardless of how a fight with Paul plays out, Bisping sees Diaz as the latest opponent that Paul has chosen based on name recognition and potential drawing power rather than in the interest of building a legitimate martial arts resume.
“Now, Nate Diaz, he’s a decent boxer, he’s as tough as they come, he’s got great jiu-jitsu, but he’s not known for being the best wrestler,” Bisping said. Could he possibly take Jake Paul down?” Are Nate Diaz nearing the end of his career as a professional? This is all smoke and mirrors. All this is Jake Paul trying navigate the waters to continue making money. He can’t do it in boxing because in boxing if he’s going to have a big boxing fight, it has to be against a real boxer and a real boxer would more than likely beat him, which is not what they want. He can’t continue calling up former UFC legends that are retired because that’s not doing it anymore either. He’s still winning fights. God bless him. He won solidly over Anderson. Before that it was Ben Askren, who’s a wrestler, then it was a basketballer.
” The point that I am making is that he has never fought boxers, however, even though these UFC greats are not pulling in big bucks, it’s clear they don’t have the money to fight. So now he’s going to have to fight mixed martial arts, which on paper makes it sound like Jake Paul is doing the right thing. He is being brave, and he will switch sports. But he’s not. It’s going to be hand-picked opponents. Nate Diaz in a boxing match first that’ll be co-promoted by the PFL. And then mixed martial arts, again, yeah Nate Diaz is the better mixed martial artist for sure, but size is a real thing.”
Paul has been a highly-respected fighter in the combat sport. He has brought his social media and YouTube fame into this space, while also creating his own promotional organization, Most Valuable Promotions to give him more control of his fight career.
Could Paul having an executive role in the two-fight series with Diaz possibly give him another edge?
“When two people fight, the promoter arranges a lot of things,” Bisping said. “Press. Interviews. Hotel. Airport. Flights. Pickups. All the rest of it. There’s nothing to stop that promoter messing with that opponent big time and if Jake Paul’s the promoter, he can arrange you don’t get picked up from the airport on time.
“They’re giving interviews in the middle of the night. They have a crazy PR calendar. Just lots of little things that would mess with the opponents. Now that would be pretty dirty and I’m not saying that Jake would do that, but it does leave the door open for those kinds of things.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/9/23546391/michael-bisping-calls-jake-paul-challenging-nate-diaz-to-mma-fight-all-smoke-and-mirrors?rand=96749
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