This past weekend, following an incredible final Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, UFC CEO Dana White hinted at a "crazy" fight that no one will see coming in 2025 during the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference. For highlights and results, click here.
Former UFC Heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub may have inadvertently spilled the beans about White’s surprising fight.
On his podcast, Schaub commented, "July 4th or 3rd, Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul co-main event [of International Fight Week], that’s the news. That’s what it is because Jake can do it."
Schaub arrived at this conclusion because he believes Diaz would never fight Paul in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), but maintains that Diaz is eager to take on the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
"Nate’s not going to fight PFL; I’m with Nate on this," Schaub stated. "Why would Nate lower his standards to fight in the PFL? PFL is a shit show, dude. Why would you go fight in the PFL? Nah, f-ck that. Nate is a UFC guy. He’s still in cahoots with the UFC; he was backstage throwing water bottles. Nate isn’t going to diminish his product and fight in the PFL—that’s just a sign that it’s over. If you go to the PFL from the UFC, your career is over, even if you’re fighting Jake Paul."
Last week, Diaz tweeted at Paul to "sign the contract," indicating his interest in a rematch after previously losing a unanimous decision to "El Gallo."
However, given the contentious relationship between Paul and the UFC’s head honcho, it seems unlikely that this fight will occur under the UFC banner.
Therefore, Schaub’s revelation might just be fabrication, much like his earlier claims about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler headlining The Sphere or Alex Pereira fighting Tom Aspinall at UFC 310.
