Nate Diaz has publicly asked for his UFC release as he teases a boxing fight with Jake Paul – the YouTuber turned boxer who has been at the centre of several multi-million pound showdowns.
Diaz has one fight left on his UFC contract and has been out of action for over a year. The Stockton southpaw has repeatedly demanded he be released from the company and claims the UFC won’t book him to fight. In March he took to social media to issue a request, tagging the UFC and UFC president Dana White in a tweet.
“I would like to request to be released from the [UFC],” Diaz wrote on Twitter. “I apologize for asking online but [you] don’t give me a fight [ASAP] I’ve got s*** to do.”
After he received no response, Diaz protested by urinating outside the UFC Performance Institute and has now issued his latest appeal. In a tweet with a video of Jake Paul knocking out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, Diaz wrote: “UFC release now please or give me fight with anyone in July or August I have bigger s*** to do.”
When asked whether the Fury fight is the best next step for Jake, Smith responded: “I think so without question. And I like it because Tommy is a very fast foot guy, very fast hands and he moves around and understands distance and range, he boxes fairly well. It’s going to be really, really good. He’s not a huge puncher, but decent, with the right hand he is pretty decent. I think that it’s a really, really good step up for both guys to be honest with you. The reason I’m picking Jake to beat Tommy is because Jake has more of a dog mentality, the bigger puncher, and he’s willing to trade.”
Paul recently announced that his next fight will take place at Madison Square Garden, New York City on August 6 against an undisclosed opponent, likely to be Fury. The event will reportedly be broadcasted live on Showtime PPV with featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano also on the bill.
