Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Picks, Predictions, and Odds

Although he is no longer unbeaten as a boxer, plenty of people are still willing to watch Jake Paul in the ring. His fight with Tommy Fury earlier this year had over 800,000 PPV buys, making him one of the biggest draws in the sport. At this point, he can no longer be dismissed as a sideshow attraction since Paul’s fights draw more viewers than most boxing title fights, and there’s a good chance that he has over 1 million buys this week for his fight with Nate Diaz. This will be the first boxing match for Diaz, but he is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, and he is considered one of the toughest competitors the sport has seen.

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz will headline a dual ESPN+ and DAZN PPV card on Saturday, August 5, 2023, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. This was originally supposed to be an eight-round bout, but both fighters agreed to make it a 10-round fight two months ago. The action will kick off at 9 p.m. ET, and there will be an excellent co-main event as undisputed women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano defends her five titles against Heather Hardy.

Celebrity Boxing Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Jake Paul -420
Nate Diaz +285

As a fan favorite, it comes as little surprise that most bets have come in on Nate Diaz to this point. Over 70% of the wagers thus far have been on Diaz, but the boxing betting odds have remained rather firm as most of the money is coming in on Paul. After all, Paul now has a significant experience edge in the ring as this is his eighth fight, while Diaz will be boxing for just the first time in his career. Additionally, while Diaz is 38 years old, Paul is still young and fresh at the age of 26.

Jake Paul was written off by many in the boxing industry when he started going down this path, but he has had the last laugh. Paul has proven to be a bigger draw than all but a handful of boxers, and that has fundamentally changed the way we see the sport. In the recent past, many speculated how long he would remain popular, but he has been able to do very well for himself by taking on former MMA fighters like Nate Diaz.

Paul is 6-1 with four knockouts in his professional career, and this will be his fifth fight against a former UFC fighter. Ben Askren was no match for Paul in his first showdown with a former MMA athlete, and Paul easily dispatched of the submission specialist in the first round. However, Tyron Woodley proved to be more of a challenge. Woodley lost a split decision in their first fight two years ago before succumbing to a knockout in the rematch. Anderson Silva went the distance with Paul in his most recent fight against a former UFC athlete last October, but Paul was able to win a unanimous decision.

Nate Diaz joined the UFC in 2007 after winning The Ultimate Fighter 5. Diaz only challenged for a title once in his career with the promotion, but he was beloved by millions of fans for his ability to put on a show. It was common for Diaz to win a nightly bonus for either Fight of the Night, Performance of the Night, or Submission of the Night as he kept things entertaining. That’s why he faced Jorge Masvidal for the inaugural BMF belt in 2019.

Diaz ended his UFC career on a high note with a submission victory over Tony Ferguson. However, he has only fought four times since August 2016 as injuries have plagued the latter half of his career. He is immensely likeable and tough as nails, but its hard to imagine he has what it takes to beat someone like Paul who has spent the last three years training to be a boxer. Paul also has the youth edge, but it is important to note that they have the same exact reach so there isn’t a big discrepancy in that department.

Play: Jake Paul to Win by Decision