UFC legend Nate Diaz breaks boxing rules and locks Jake Paul in guillotine choke then celebrated
Nate Diaz gave fans reminded fans of his submission skills while boxing Jake Paul on Saturday night.
The former UFC fighter - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt - was making his boxing debut at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas where he lost via a unanimous decision to Paul.
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During the final round, Diaz knew he was down on the cards and decided to show everyone he could beat ‘The Problem Child’ anytime he wanted if he wasn’t constricted by boxing rules.
The 38-year-old broke these rules as he appeared to lock up a standing guillotine choke which caused concern for the referee who quickly stepped in to separate the fighters.
He was fortunate to avoid punishment, likely because there was only 10 seconds remaining in the fight.
Diaz smiled and raised his hands in the air to celebrate as fans inside the arena cheered on the man they were loudly backing to spring a massive upset.
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Ultimately, Conor McGregor’s long-time rival fell to defeat as the judges scored 97-92, 98-91, and 98-91 for his opponent.
Post-fight, Paul reiterated his desire to face Diaz in an MMA rematch after previously offering the combat sports icon $10 million to make it happen.
Diaz appeared open to the idea but claimed he had already shown what would happen if they face off in a cage.
"I had the single leg in the first and the choke in the [tenth],” he joked with interviewer Ariel Helwani. He added later on: "It’s easy to take him down. Two, three, four months [from now], I’m ready to rock. We’re going to talk."
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Paul talked about the moment Diaz locked up a submission during his post-fight press conference.
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"Yeah he f***ing choked me, he was actually choking me," he said.
"I was like, 'This is crazy.' I didn't think he was gonna stop, he had it in.
"It's funny. That's why I wanna run it back in MMA. If it was in MMA, I would've dropped to a double leg, picked him up, and dropped him on his head."
Asked why he didn't go in for the kill earlier when he knocked him down, he explained: “My motor was running hot, and I was punching him hard and hard and hard, and he just wasn’t going down.
"He was standing there. So, I didn’t want to burn out and let him catch a win and come back with something. So, I was being patient, being smart, and was looking for the kill. But at the end of the day, he withstood a bunch of big, big, big punches.”
Diaz, a 15-year UFC veteran has repeatedly expressed his desire to return to MMA’s premier promotion, but Paul is signed to PFL and will want their second bout to take place under their banner.
A trilogy fight with McGregor remains on the table for Diaz and UFC boss Dana White will be desperate to make it happen after their two-fight series sold 2.9 million pay-per-views.
It remains to be seen if he will choose to settle his biggest rivalry once and for all and allow Paul the opportunity to try to avenge his lone boxing loss against Tommy Fury before they meet again.
For now, Diaz will lick his wounds after a valiant but unsuccessful boxing debut.
Paul will be celebrating with Logan Paul who picked up a win at SummerSlam before making the trip from Detroit to watch his little brother move to 7-1 as a professional boxer.
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