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Nate Diaz was involved in a backstage altercation with a member of Jake Paul’s team, prior to the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s victory over Anderson Silva on Saturday night.
The MMA star appeared to punch a member of Paul’s entourage in the face during an on-camera incident between the two camps.
It’s not clear what caused the backstage fracas, but it was quickly shut down after Diaz’s apparent blow.
Paul continued his successful transition to boxing in the main event of the evening, beating Silva – the 25-year-old’s sixth straight win. After the fight, in his press conference, he turned his attention to Diaz and the altercation with his team.
Diaz appears to punch Jake Paul’s team member in a backstage altercation on Saturday
The incident is quickly shut down and Diaz is asked by staff to walk away from the situation
Jake said, “Nate Diaz acted like a bitch here.
“Everyone wants that fight. He tried to fight people in the hallway.
“Nate, stop fighting people for free, let’s do it in the ring, okay?
“I know you’re a little slow, buddy, but it doesn’t matter, we can make that fight happen.”
“It’s typical of him, that’s what he likes to do, he’s a street mobster.
“He likes to be tough and he really isn’t.
“Why are you trying to beat up someone in a hallway, bro?”
Nate Diaz was ringside for the fight and was shown Jake Paul’s win over Anderson Silva
After throwing Silva out, Paul has now challenged Diaz to a match, with the 37-year-old now out of a contract with the UFC and teasing a switch to boxing.
Paul won by unanimous decision against Silva – he underlined the victory with his eighth round knockout – as he continues his quest for respect after taking boxing seriously just three years ago.
“It’s surreal,” Paul added. “I don’t think it will hit me for a few weeks. I feel like I’m living in a movie. (Silva) was the one who told me I could achieve anything if I set my mind to it. You couldn’t have written this in a story.’
“I had to go in tonight to match his heart,” Paul continued. “The heart I saw through the TV screen as a kid.”
The entertaining fight lasted eight rounds and the final round was a doozy, with Paul Silva’s big right hand sending Silva to the canvas. The 47-year-old Silva was able to persevere and even got a few blows in the last minute, but that was not enough to convince the jury.
Jake Paul dominated the game and kept his unbeaten record which stands at 6-0 so far
The YouTuber turned boxer knocked out former MMA star Silva in the eighth round of the fight
“That wasn’t even the heaviest blow of the night,” said Paul. “It was just the timing.”
The fight got off to a slow start with Silva rarely throwing punches in the opening round, but the Brazilian landed some hard shots in the second round, dancing around the ring while dodging Paul’s biggest blows. Both fighters exchanged some taunts in the opening rounds, but the bravado gave way to concentration as both realized it was going to be a long fight.
Paul held his own through the middle rounds—with blood pouring out of Silva’s nose—but couldn’t land most of his powerful swings. That started to change in the later rounds as the younger Paul became more confident and the punches started to hit.
Two judges scored the fight 78-73, while a third scored it 77-74.
“He took so many hard shots throughout the fight,” said Paul. “That guy is a real dog. You see what happens to everyone who gets hit with it. He’s the toughest man in the world, but I just wanted more.’
Boxing’s crossovers continued to be a success with 14,000 fans attending the fight
It was a spectacle for over 14,000 fans mixing boxing and all different types of celebrities, but the main draw was 25-year-old Paul, who has shown a surprising talent for skills in the ring. He’s also a master of self-promotion, riding open horse training until Wednesday and walking around Desert Diamond Arena on Saturday with two people in giant Transformers-esque outfits behind him.
Silva (3-2) was the fan favorite and received loud cheers as he entered the ring. He built his fame as a UFC star but got his start in boxing and returned to the sport in 2020.
“That’s the game,” Silva said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But nothing in my life changes. I keep training hard, because I was born for this.’