Nate Diaz's 30lb transformation from UFC title contender to Jake Paul fight
Nate Diaz once tipped the scales at 155lb for a UFC title fight - and looked a different man from his 185lb frame for tomorrow night's bout with Jake Paul.
The Stockton, California native's most famous octagon bouts were at 170lb as a welterweight against the likes of Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards. But his sole chance at the gold came 15lb lighter in December of 2012 when he faced Benson Henderson in the main event of the UFC's fifth Fox event.
The result didn't go his way, with Henderson landing one of his patented five-round wins against the younger Diaz brother. He continued to compete at 155lb for the next three years, until a short-notice fight with McGregor in 2016 materialised too late for a weight cut, leaving the pair to fight up at 170lb - two divisions higher than featherweight where the Irishman was champion.
However, even after previously cutting down to 155lb, Diaz needed the towel for his boxing debut, where he faces YouTube star Paul up at what would be MMA's middleweight division of 185lb. He came in just under the contracted weight around twenty minutes after his opponent, who also had to strip down.
Diaz is a major underdog for the fight with Paul, given his lack of boxing experience while the YouTube star has been honing his skills over the last five years. Paul has offered $10million for his rival to do a rematch in the MMA arena as he prepares for his debut in the PFL smart cage next year.
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Nate Diaz weighed in as low as 155lb for his fight with Benson Henderson (Getty Images)What did you make of Nate Diaz's transformation on the scales? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"Can you accept my offer to fight in MMA?" Paul asked Diaz at their final pre-fight press conference on Thursday. "No, you're acting like a b**** still. I have $10million for you in MMA and you still haven't accepted it - after I f*** you up in boxing I'm coming to MMA and I'm f***ing you up worse. I'm going to choke your b**** a** out, accept the offer p****, but you won't, you won't accept the offer!"
However, Diaz doesn't want to come to the PFL, still considering the UFC his home for MMA bouts. “I don’t fight for that organization,” Diaz responded when asked about Paul’s offer. “If we do something, we’re going to do something real. Co-promotion, if anything.”
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