Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Ready For War Boxing Betting Odds Preview

This time, Jake Paul’s challenger is UFC legend and fan favorite Nate Diaz. Paul and Diaz will meet in the main event of the Ready For War boxing card taking place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on the evening of Saturday, August 5th. Unsurprisingly, Paul comes in as an enormous moneyline favorite on all betting sites.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz: Ready For War Catchweight Boxing Betting Odds - August 5th

Boxing fans will take over Dallas on Saturday night as one of the biggest draws in today’s boxing landscape, Jake Paul, returns to the ring for the first time without an undefeated record to his name. The nine-fight PPV event will get underway at 9PM Eastern Time and will be offered on DAZN. All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Fight Background

Jake Paul’s first true test came when former UFC champion Tyron Woodley took him the distance in a split decision victory for Paul. He went on to knockout Woodley in the rematch before winning a decision by arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all-time in Anderson Silva. He was 6-0, but the only real striker that he beat was Silva, as Askren and Woodley were known much more for their wrestling.

In February, Paul finally fought a real boxer in Tommy Fury. Fury, whose brother Tyson Fury is the current lineal heavyweight champion, did not have an impressive resume either, but he was a lifelong boxer and he gave Paul a lot of trouble during his split decision win.

Paul now returns to the well of underpaid UFC stars that have brought him so much success in the past. Nate Diaz is the latest to sell his soul for the massive Jake Paul payday. Diaz hasn’t been a real championship contender in the UFC for over a decade, but his rough and rugged style and persona made every one of his fights appointment viewing. 

Diaz once fought for the UFC lightweight title back in 2012, but since then he never strung together enough wins to get another shot. Instead, he has entertained UFC fans to no end with performances like his win against Michael Johnson in a Fight of the Night and his shocking rear-naked choke defeat of Conor McGregor. His rematch with Notorious was also a Fight of the Night, and his BMF battle with Jorge Masvidal was a great show as well.

He lost a decision to current welterweight champ Leon Edwards after that, but the way he lost was classic Diaz. After getting battered for four and a half rounds, Diaz came on strong late in the fifth and knocked down Edwards, who was pretty much saved by the bell as he was never able to recover from the hurt Diaz put on him. Diaz’s guillotine choke finish of UFC legend Tony Ferguson in his most recent fight showed that Diaz can still entertain with the best of them, whether inside the octagon or the ring.

Fight Preview

Paul has already discussed the possibilities of a rematch with Fury in the near future and a move to MMA in 2024, but for now he will have to focus on the tall task at hand that is Nate Diaz. Anderson Silva was an all-time great in the octagon, but when he fought Paul he was nearly 50. At 38, Diaz is still 12 years older than the 26-year-old Paul, but he’s a lot closer to his prime than Silva was.

Diaz is as good a brawler as you will come across. While he was able to get a lot more of his finishes in the octagon via submission rather than striking, he is no stranger to a war in the stand-up, which should hold him in good stead for this boxing match. As evidenced by his performance against Edwards, he can take a helluva beating before coming back and landing massive shots of his own.

The power advantage clearly lies with Paul, who usually fights at around 180-190 pounds, which is the range at which this one will be fought. Diaz, meanwhile, has generally fought at either 155 or 170 pounds during his UFC career.

Where we think Diaz could gather an advantage is through his legendary gas tank, which should help him if he can lead Paul into the deep waters of the later rounds. This will also be the first 10-round fight of Paul’s career, so his cardio will definitely be tested here.

Diaz has not been knocked out in over a decade, with his only loss via TKO in that time coming by doctor stoppage. If Paul can get him out of there early, he’s going to have a tough time winning a decision against a guy with the volume and cardio of Diaz. Paul’s weight advantage will also make it tough for Diaz to get him out, so if you want a fun underdog bet, go for Diaz to win this one via decision at +700.