Conor McGregor, other pros react to one-sided Jake Paul victory over Nate Diaz

if you didn't believe in Jake Paul's boxing skills before, do you now?

Paul seemed to hurt Diaz early in the opening round, putting Diaz on unsteady legs for most of the round, as Paul threw some flurries and looked for the finish until he and Diaz got tied up in the ropes. Diaz recovered for a much better second round, as he found his footing and pacing. Diaz continued to have his moments in the third, but Paul landed some powerful inside shots that seemed to do their damage.

During the fourth round, Paul toyed with Diaz a bit, taking on a strategy of landing a couple of solid punches before moving out and around the ring. Diaz brought the pressure, however, and clipped him at points, even forcing Paul to clinch up late in the round.

But in the fifth, Paul caught Diaz with a left hook to the temple that knocked Diaz down. Diaz got back up but had to survive relentless pressure from Paul. Paul continued to dictate the pace throughout the sixth and seventh rounds, though Diaz still had his moments.

Diaz tried to pressure Paul and make him uncomfortable with uppercuts on the inside and jabs from the outside — plus a flurry before the bell. Diaz slowed down and tried to do mind games with Paul in the ninth, where after landing on Paul, he walked through his punches and tried to walk Paul down.

Paul took the fight in a unanimous decision, with one judge scoring the fight 97-92 and the other two totaling 98-91.

Pros react to Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

After a successful amateur bout against fellow social media star Deji Olatunji in 2018, Paul turned pro at the start of 2020. His wins thus far have come against the likes of AnEsonGib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. Paul entered this bout off his first loss, dropping a split decision to Tommy Fury in February.

Diaz had a near 20-year career in MMA, competing mostly in the UFC after winning season five of The Ultimate Fighter. While he never won a championship, Diaz was known for his attitude and exciting performances. He currently sits tied for most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history with eight, and he is best known for his 2016 rivalry with Conor McGregor, which includes his submission of the former champ-champ at UFC 196 — McGregor's first in the UFC.

Diaz last fought in the UFC at UFC 279 in September, defeating Tony Ferguson.

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