Nate Diaz is getting fired up as his professional boxing debut nears closer.

Jake Paul is set to welcome one of MMA’s most popular fighters to the squared circle in a middleweight tilt on Aug. 5 in Dallas, Texas. Facing an MMA fighter in a boxing match will be nothing new for the 6-foot-1 Paul who has done so on four occasions, winning them all. As he’s continued to expand his resume, Paul has called for several notable names within the MMA world, including Diaz and he now gets his wish.

The 26-year-old “Problem Child” recently shared his disappointment in Diaz’s “boring” and uncharacteristic pre-fight hyping of the fight after allegedly receiving trash-talk before the fight was signed. Diaz noted in May at the pair’s first pre-fight press conference that there was no need to be hostile so early. With the matchup now weeks away, Stockton’s finest is starting to let loose in vintage fashion.

“This guy thinks he’ll actually beat everybody’s f****** ass and he’s louder than all you fools who are really beating people’s asses,” Diaz said on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk (h/t MiddleEasy). “So now I have to step the f*** out to box real quick and whip this motherf*****’s ass so we’ll know who’s the real ass whipper. Understand what I’m saying. People saying, ‘Oh, it’s a mismatch’ and this and that. Well, then you f****** fight him, motherf*****. Make sure the best fights are happening because that’s what I’m here to see when I’m watching fighting. And this fools poppin’ off in interviews: ‘We’re real fighters.’ Prove it motherf*****. I’mma go beat his ass for talkin’ s***.

“And then he was talking s*** to Conor [McGregor] and dissing his wife, and s***. On some real disrespectful stuff that he shouldn’t be saying. And nobody’s saying s***. I’m the one that said, shut the f*** up, b****. I’m gonna whoop your ass for real.”

Despite stepping foot in the boxing ring at 38, Diaz isn’t planning to stick around like some of his fellow MMA veterans in recent months. This past September marked Diaz’s last fight in the UFC when he submitted Tony Ferguson via a fourth-round guillotine choke. While Ferguson was the final fight on Diaz’s contract, he wants to make it clear that his intention isn’t for it to have been his last in the UFC or MMA overall.

“I’m gonna get this fight done with and then everything changes with every fight,” Diaz said. “People don’t understand that. Everything changes with every fight. Like the fight show last week and every fight show that happens changes the whole f****** bracket. If they’ll have me, I would love to go back to the UFC.

“I got love for Dana [White] either way, I don’t care what he says. It’s all business. I just want to do my thing and get back to what I do. Fight for real.”

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VIDEO STEW

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MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck chats with Josiah Harrell.

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LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses where Michael Page will fight next after announcing free agency.

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

London.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sean Woodson (9-1-1) vs. Jesse Butler (12-5); UFC Nashville, Aug. 5

Josh Hill (22-5) vs. Kasum Kasumov (14-1); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Vladimir Tokov (8-2) vs. Jario Pacheco (7-1); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Montserrat Rendon (5-0) vs. Tamires Vidal (7-1); UFC Vegas 79, Sept. 23

Kanako Murata (12-2) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (9-5); UFC Vegas 80, Oct. 7

Ashley Yoder (8-8) vs. Emily Ducote (12-8); UFC Fight Night, Oct. 14

Caio Borralho (14-1, 1 NC) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (35-8-2); UFC Sao Paulo, Nov. 4

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FINAL THOUGHTS

How much does a Diaz loss hurt his chances of returning to the UFC? A unique spot for him to be in where he’s openly expressing his interest in returning.

Thanks for reading!

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