After the fight: Jake Paul’s future & Nate Diaz

Jake Paul calls out Nate Diaz and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez after his unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva.

Jake Paul (6-0) had done it again. Last night, he fought legendary MMA fighter turned boxer Anderson Silva (3-2) and earned himself a unanimous decision victory in front of a crowd of 14,430 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ. The ‘Problem Child’ Paul has become a box office attraction whether you want to take his events seriously or not.

Coming into this fight, fans and media alike were unsure if Paul would prevail against someone as established as Silva, but he had the strength and youth advantage, which is something you could not ignore. What we saw from Paul on Saturday night was a more prepared fighter who has improved in every fight he has taken. From a technical standpoint, Paul’s balance was better, and you could tell he was trying to think in there and set traps for the veteran Silva.

The understanding was that Paul would wait Silva out and allow being 47 years old to play into the fight. Midway into the eight-round bout, that is exactly what happened, as the younger Paul was more of a dominant force than Silva. The face of Silva started to show the results of the punishment, and his nose was bleeding profusely. Even then, Silva was a warrior, and although he was knockdown in the last round, he kept coming, and I’m sure it surprised the young Paul with the heart he showed.

Jake Paul calls out Nate Diaz and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez as possible next opponents.

After the fight, Paul said, “It’s a surreal moment. Hard work pays off. First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Anderson. He was my idol growing up. He inspired me to be great. He was the first celebrity I ever met. Without him, we wouldn’t have had a fight this year. He’s a tough mofo—a legend. I have nothing but respect for him. This just goes to show that anyone watching at home chase your dreams. It’s never too late. I started boxing two-and-a-half years ago as a pro and just beat one of the greatest ever because I’m obsessed with this. I go so hard every single day.”

He continued, “Nothing can get in my way. No distractions. And if you’re watching at home, it doesn’t matter if you have talent; it doesn’t matter if you have anything, you just have to work your ass off, and you can accomplish your dreams. This should just go to prove that because I met Anderson when I was 13 years old. If you’re 13 years old watching this, go get it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.” Inspiring words from Paul and something that will reach quite a few people that were tuning into the event.

Toward the end, everyone in the world was waiting to see who Paul would call out. Earlier in the evening, there were many camera cameos from MMA great Nate Diaz, who was in attendance. Rumors have been swirling that a fight between Paul and Diaz could be next. If that’s the case, the pot was stirred early for that one as Diaz and his team were seen having a scuffle with Paul’s team in the back of the arena. So when it came time for Paul to speak, he said, “This is just the start. I want Nate Diaz. Canelo, you too. You guys said, ‘You can’t beat a striker; you can’t beat a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did it. So why can’t I beat Canelo?”

Now the Canelo fight isn’t happening, and that was more of the marketing mentality of Paul talking vice the reality. The opponent that is being targeted is more so Diaz than anyone else. Diaz has a strong cult-like following and is known across the globe as this no-nonsense bad boy who looks to give his opponents a beating. With his larger-than-life popularity, this is the only fight that makes sense for Paul, and it would be a massive blockbuster. Could you imagine this fight taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA? There wouldn’t be enough seats in the venue to host the number of people looking to attend. That is a massive event and one that should take place around June of next year.

Everyone will be highly intrigued by the outcome of that fight which will lead to huge numbers and digital traffic. If that fight gets made, will Paul be able to put it all together and beat Diaz? Is Diaz too much of a fighter for Paul and would dominate him? All questions that look to be answered if these two men step into the ring to face each other in the near future. Paul is here to stay, so get used to him, as he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.