Jake Paul returned to winning ways as he overcame UFC icon Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91, 98-91) on Saturday night.
The Youtube star was clearly ready for war as he arrived at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas perched on top of a tank.
And he wasted no time in launching his assault on Diaz, peppering the veteran with a succession of heavy blows in the opening exchanges.
Paul almost sent his opponent stumbling out of the ring when he landed a powerful left hook in the fifth and was the better fighter in almost every round as he bounced back from his first defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury in emphatic fashion.
Diaz did, however, enjoy the occasion, goading Paul at every opportunity and even faking a standing guillotine as he looked keen to take the skirmish back to his roots.
His wish may well become a reality, though, as Paul made an absurd $10m offer for a rematch in MMA.
Speaking after the fight, he said: “He’s tough. He’s really tough. That’s what he’s known for. But ‘tough’ in this sport doesn’t work.”
Paul added: “He’s a warrior. I had him hurt in the first round, and he kept on coming.
“All credit to my conditioning team. Going ten rounds in my eighth fight is unheard of. I’ve only been boxing for three years, I beat a UFC legend.
“$10m, PFL, that’s the offer. Let’s run it back in MMA, make it fair. I won one, now it’s your chance in your home territory. Let’s do it.”
There was certainly much more respect between the pair post-fight, and Diaz was full of praise for his opponent.
“He’s tough, he’s big, I wish I could have done better,” he said. “There was some sh*t that didn’t happen quite the way I wanted it to but it’s all good.
“I’ll fight anybody, I don’t give a f*ck. I’ll do either MMA or boxing. MMA sounds good, he won this one so I need to get one back.”
