Jake Paul confirms he's fighting again, targets MMA fight with UFC legend Nate Diaz

Jake Paul, widely recognized as a social media influencer-cum-boxer, hasn't competed in any professional combat sports contest since he suffered jaw injuries in his sixth-round KO defeat against Anthony Joshua last December. 

Nevertheless, Paul has now signaled that he's interested in boxing again and could even make his MMA debut.

He'd outpointed MMA legend Nate Diaz in the latter's professional boxing debut back in 2023. Paul has now reignited his feud with the "Stockton 209" representative, naming Diaz as someone he'd like to fight in the MMA realm. 

Jake Paul announces that he's going to resume his fighting career, having recovered from his boxing loss against Anthony Joshua

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, from The 2026 ESPYs, Jake Paul addressed various topics. Upon being questioned about whether he's still fighting, Paul indicated that he does intend to continue his combat sports career.

"The Problem Child" hinted at being in discussions with a few possible opponents for his next fight, stating, "Definitely still fighting. We're in talks right now with multiple opponents and just figuring out, like, what we're going to come back (to)." 

The conversation segued into boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s recently reported financial setbacks. Paul referenced the speculation surrounding the alleged economic woes that "Money" Mayweather is embattled by, seemingly jibing that the pugilist "needs the money" that he'd earn by fighting him (Paul). 

Podcast host Pat McAfee chimed in and pointed out that Paul already has a boxing match against the great "Iron" Mike Tyson on his record and could further add to it by boxing against another legend in Floyd "Money" Mayweather. 

Moreover, Paul proceeded to joke about his knockout loss at the hands of former unified heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua, jesting that he'd probably refrain from fighting Olympic gold medalist heavyweight boxers like Joshua. 

When asked where he was in his comeback journey, Paul revealed that he's set to get cleared for sparring soon. He explained, "Good, good, good. I'm going to get cleared to officially spar in the next couple of weeks." 

Jake Paul calls for MMA fight against UFC veteran and former boxing opponent Nate Diaz, notes talks with multiple potential opponents

Jake Paul harked back to the maiden MMA event, MVP MMA 1 starring Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, promoted by his MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) brand under the MVP MMA banner earlier this year.

Paul insinuated that his feud against the UFC, to make MVP MMA the No. 1 mixed martial arts organization, would continue. 

The 29-year-old added that he would like to compete in the sport of mixed martial arts. He said, "We are talking to a lot of people." 

The Ohio-born influencer-cum-fighter claimed he's been in talks with boxers and MMA fighters, even seemingly expressing his willingness to possibly fight WWE icons-turned-Hollywood megastars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena.

The polarizing fighter claimed he'd face boxing great Terence Crawford, who recently retired. Paul further named another retired fighter -- former WWE and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar -- as someone he'd like to face. 

Drawing attention to how an MMA encounter between himself and ex-UFC star Nate Diaz has long been something he's been lobbying for, Paul said, "I want to do MMA. We've been trying to make the Nate Diaz MMA fight for a long time." 

The 12-2 pro boxer emphasized that the Diaz MMA matchup is still on the table, and it remains to be seen what happens within the next year or two. He cited his background as an amateur wrestler from Ohio, in addition to stating that he'd be open to learning the craft of Jiu-Jitsu to build his MMA arsenal. 

It's noteworthy that Paul did sign with an MMA organization, the PFL, to be specific, back in 2023. He didn't compete there, however, and departed the organization earlier this year.

The consensus is that he's likely to fight in his own MMA promotion, MVP MMA, if he does choose to compete in the sport of mixed martial arts. 

Watch Jake Paul discuss his combat sports comeback below: