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Michael Bisping thinks Jake Paul's anticipated entry into martial arts and calling out Nate Diaz is only a publicity stunt.
With aspirations to compete in MMA, "The Problem Child" just signed with the PFL. Paul issued a challenge to Diaz to face him in a two-fight series that would first take place in a boxing ring and then in a cage under MMA rules.
Paul and Diaz have publicly traded insults in the past, and now that Diaz is a free agent after UFC 279 in September, the chances of a fight between the two are growing.
“It’s the same old story, isn’t it?” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Same old story because Nate Diaz fought almost all of his fights at 155 and a few at 170, but he’s a lightweight generally.”
“He’s a lightweight. Jake Paul weighs over 200 pounds and I’ve been through this, it’s every single time I talk about it. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster, he’s a boxer, and he wants to go first because he’ll probably knock Nate Diaz out or beat him in the very least in a boxing fight.”
Since November, when Bisping weighed in on rumours of a prospective Paul-Diaz battle, he has maintained the same opinion of the contest and predicted that Diaz would not fare well. MMA veteran had a mixed record in the UFC, going 4-3 in irregular appearances since 2015, including his most recent submission victory against Tony Ferguson in the fourth round.
Regardless of the outcome of a fight with Paul, Bisping believes that Diaz is the most recent opponent that Paul has picked primarily on name recognition and possible draw power rather than the need to establish a credible martial arts resume.
"When two people fight, the promoter arranges a lot of things,” Bisping said. “Press. Interviews. Hotel. Airport. Flights. Pickups. All the rest of it. There’s nothing to stop that promoter messing with that opponent big time and if Jake Paul’s the promoter, he can arrange you don’t get picked up from the airport on time."
“They’re giving interviews in the middle of the night. Their PR schedule is just absolutely through the roof. Just lots of little things that would mess with the opponents."