Jake Paul was one of the topics for discussion in an interview between ‘Funky’ Ben Askren and Daniel Cormier for his YouTube channel. Cormier wondered why Paul was so intent on still fighting McGregor given that ‘The Problem Child has plenty of money already.’ and how he called out Conor McGregor recently in the middle f the night on his Twitter account.
Askren then gave his thoughts on the matter. ”I think if he [Jake Paul] beats Nate Diaz, it makes a lot of sense. I don’t know what Conor’s contract is, or his relationship with the UFC, if he can go and get it done [box Paul]. I think a lot of people buy that fight. There’s a lot of casual fans who just want to see a boxing match.”
‘Funky’ then praised Jake Paul’s boxing ability, highlighting that Paul has beaten him, Andreson Silva, and Tyron Woodley. DC countered this point by saying that when Paul came face-to-face against a real boxer, he didn’t look great and began ‘spamming overhand rights, leading to his opponent, Tommy Fury, finding easy reads, which led to him being able to control the fight. Cormier then asked, ‘Will Jake Paul beat Nate Diaz in a boxing match’?
”I think so”, said Askren. ” I didn’t think Jake Paul would beat Tyron [Woodley] or Anderson Silva, so yeah, I kind of think so”.
Cormier then went on to tease Askren over his decision to box Jake Paul, which of course, he lost via a vicious knockout. Askren said that he thought Paul sucked at boxing prior to fighting him, as he had only beaten a basketball player and a comedian; therefore, it would be an easy payday.
Jake Paul Vs. Nate Diaz is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 5, in Texas; however, the latter has thrown the event into doubt with a tweet Diaz posted earlier today that said the fight might have to move to a different state, presumable because of his cannabis use and the state of Texas’s strict laws on the substance.
Elsewhere in the interview, the pair discussed the attention which Conor McGregor has received over the past week. With the new Season of The Ultimate Fighter beginning a few days ago, they talked about how prevalent McGregor is across the media. Fighters from the whole spectrum have been calling him out recently, from the Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to the man tied for the most knockout victories in the UFC, Matt Brown.
Askren then threw a quiz question at Cormier, asking who the last person McGregor has beaten who is still fighting in the UFC. DC correctly guessed it was Dustin Poirier. Askren revealed the fight was back in 2014 before questioning how seriously McGregor is taking his fighting career now that he has made so much money and hasn’t fought regularly for several years.
It may be a bit of a stretch to say McGregor is underestimating Michael Chandler, as it was pretty evident from the first episode of TUF Season 31 that ‘The Notorious’ has a lot of respect for his next opponent, and has said on numerous occasions that he feels Chandler is a good fighter and that he (McGregor) is looking forward to the fight.
Episode 2 of the TUF: Season 31 airs Tuesday, June 6 on ESPN.
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