A press conference between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz culminates in a massive brawl. A member of one of the combatants’ entourages reportedly ended up in a Dallas hospital following a brawl that erupted at a press conference promoting Jake Paul and Nate Diaz’s boxing match on Saturday night.
To begin, the combatants exchanged threats and obscenities from behind the press table. Diaz, a 38-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor, hurled homophobic comments at Paul, a 26-year-old boxer whose career was propelled by his YouTube popularity. Paul had stated he would terminate his opponent’s career on Saturday at the nearby American Airlines Center.
Read more: Kevin Stefanski is unsure of how the new kickoff rule will be implemented.
Eventually, Diaz and Paul posed for a photo together on stage, surrounded by their security and support staff. A video uploaded to TMZ depicts the combatants flexing their musculature and posturing before separating. Then, shoving, pushing, and punching broke out between their factions.
Paul later posted on social media, “Nate’s team has emailed my team trying to claim assault after his team struck first.” The individual who struck first is receiving sutures at the hospital.
It is unclear to whom Paul refers or whether anyone was hospitalized due to the altercation.
“It’s hilarious how these fake gangsters are acting!” Paul continued.
Paul offered Diaz $10 million to compete against him in an MMA match in the future.
Diaz’s record in martial arts competitions is 35-22. In 2016, he celebrated arguably his most significant victory when he stopped MMA sensation Conor McGregor in the second round of their fight in Las Vegas. He is also known for engaging in altercations outside the ring.
Paul’s pugilism expertise is limited to boxing, and he is 6-1 in prizefighting, with victories over 48-year-old UFC superstar Andrew Silva and former Knicks guard Nate Robinson.
He stated that he began training for martial arts competitions in January.