Paul-Diaz takeaways: Jake Paul picked the right foe for his rebound fight

Boos rained down on Jake Paul at the sold-out American Airlines Center before and after his fight with Nate Diaz. It had been clear all week - at the pre-fight press conference, and then the ceremonial weigh-ins - that Dallas was Diaz country. But that didn't stop Paul from getting back on track in one of his most impressive performances to date.

Paul, the YouTube star turned prizefighter, defeated Diaz, the popular and beloved UFC veteran, in a fairly lopsided unanimous decision Saturday night on pay-per-view. It was Paul's first fight since falling short to Tommy Fury in February. It was also his first 10-round bout, elevated from eight rounds after a request from Diaz's team.

Here are three takeaways from Paul's victory over Diaz.

Diaz was the right opponent for Paul's bounce-back fight

Everything in the fight went according to plan for Paul. He was the sharper, more powerful puncher. He was clearly the superior boxer overall, his previous boxing experience giving him a significant edge. Diaz never put Paul in serious trouble (unless a now-viral 10th-round guillotine choke counts). However, the former UFC star did hold his own. He clipped Paul with punches in the clinch. He put the pressure on Paul at times. Diaz stayed in the fight - he made it a fight.

Diaz was tough, beatable, and a big name, and that's exactly what Paul needed.

After losing to Fury, it was important for Paul to get back into the win column and repair his standing as an up-and-coming boxer. And this was as good of a rebound as Paul could've had. Perhaps he would have preferred to finish Diaz with his first barrage of punches in Round 1. But that wouldn't have proven as much as the decision victory did. Instead, Paul went toe to toe with a scrappy MMA fighter and came out on top. He went 10 rounds for the first time in his boxing career - and, honestly, did so with relative ease. Diaz is known for his cardiovascular endurance, and Paul seemed like the fresher fighter down the stretch.

In many ways, this was a more appealing - and interesting - result for fans than Paul stopping Diaz early. A lot of people said Paul's bout against Ben Askren in 2021 wasn't a fight or was rigged. Paul beat Askren in less than two minutes. It's hard to make the same argument about Paul-Diaz, a 30-minute slugfest that had the occasional shift in momentum. Combat sports fans want to see a fun fight. That's what they got. And now it's more likely they'll come back for more.

On a somewhat related note, it was incredibly smart for Paul to go back to facing an MMA fighter after he lost to a real boxer in Fury. The MMA media cares more about Paul than the boxing media do - that has been the case ever since Paul-Askren. Plus, Paul has a beef with UFC president Dana White. Overall, he is more connected to the MMA world than the boxing world. As such, it arguably feels like a bigger deal when Paul is taking on a former UFC fighter like Anderson Silva or Tyron Woodley - even if it's not as daunting of a task.

The Diaz win has injected some life back into Jake Paul's boxing experiment. After seeing "The Problem Child" get his hand raised with ease, it was hard to reach any conclusion other than Diaz was the perfect opponent for Paul's bounce-back fight.

Diaz didn't lose much momentum with a decision loss

There was a lot of talk about Diaz potentially re-signing with the UFC after the Paul fight. Diaz himself has expressed a desire to return to his longtime home. But there was also a lot of talk about what would happen if Diaz lost to Paul. Would the UFC still be interested? Would White and Co. give Diaz a reasonable offer? Would fans be interested in a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor?

It's pretty safe to say that Diaz's stock didn't go down much as a result of the defeat.

For starters, Diaz wasn't supposed to beat Paul. He was a hefty betting underdog. He had no prior boxing experience. He is 12 years older and has taken a lot of damage throughout his MMA career. Still, Diaz made it a fight. Paul even said he was the toughest fighter he has fought. Diaz did not necessarily exceed expectations - the scorecards were indeed lopsided in Paul's favor - but he did not underwhelm, either.

Diaz even had the most viral moment of the fight - while fighting a social media influencer no less - briefly trapping Paul in a standing guillotine choke toward the end of their fight. Famed combat sports photographer Esther Lin captured the perfect shot:

If Paul embarrassed Diaz with a first-round stoppage, then perhaps it would be a different story. But Diaz made it to the scorecards. He did OK. And there's already some interest surrounding a rematch between Paul and Diaz in MMA. So, unless proven otherwise, the Stockton native is still a big draw - and the UFC would be absolutely silly not to pay him what he's worth should he explore an MMA comeback.

MMA rematch or not?

Paul and Diaz both said they are open to facing off again - this time under MMA rules - but it's hard to say whether a rematch will actually come to fruition.

Paul signed a equity deal with the PFL earlier this year to compete in MMA, with the goal of transitioning to that sport in 2024. Paul and the PFL have offered Diaz $10 million to fight Paul in MMA. But Diaz said Saturday their MMA rematch would have to be co-promoted by his company Real Fight Inc. Paul and Diaz co-promoted their boxing match, with a 50-50 split. If Paul is reluctant to do another co-promotion - because of his contractual obligations with the PFL - that could be a major roadblock in getting a deal done and finalizing the MMA fight.

Diaz can't really go wrong with what he decides to do next. He could return to the UFC for a massive fight with McGregor, or he could choose to fight Paul as a huge betting favorite under the PFL banner. Either way, he's going to headline a blockbuster pay-per-view event and make a lot of money.

Paul has to be more strategic with his next fight. To be honest, he may want to reconsider doing the Diaz rematch in MMA this soon. After all, he is still only one fight removed from the loss to Fury - ideally, he wins his next fight to build up even more momentum. But Diaz would likely beat Paul in MMA. Diaz has been an MMA fighter since 2004 and would have a huge advantage on the ground. Paul has done minimal training in MMA and if he fought Diaz in MMA next year, that likely wouldn't be enough time to close the gap in skill.

A submission loss to Diaz wouldn't be a surprising result, but it also wouldn't be a great look. So it would be in Paul's best interest to stick to boxing - at least for now. One or two more boxing matches - maybe against Fury or KSI - and then he can check MMA off the bucket list. Perhaps he can lure another MMA fighter to the boxing world and put together a much more winnable fight.