Dana White heaps praise on Nate Diaz after Jake Paul loss: UFC is 'always going to be his house'
UFC president Dana White reacts to Nate Diaz's loss to Jake Paul and is asked about a potential reunion with the Stockton, Calif. superstar.
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LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White was quite complimentary of Nate Diaz’s efforts in a boxing match loss against Jake Paul.
Following the conclusion of DWCS 57 on Tuesday, White gave reporters including MMA Junkie his first reaction to Saturday’s boxing match, which saw the former UFC star Diaz drop a unanimous decision to Paul at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
“For a kid pushing 40 years old fighting a guy four weight classes bigger than him in boxing and two in MMA and going the distance at his age against a 20-f*cking-something-year-old kid, so far, he’s fared the best,” White said at the UFC Apex. “He looked good. I’m happy for him.”
During the boxing match’s fight week, Diaz, who left the UFC in late 2022, was cordial about his former promotion. Since his departure, Diaz has indicated it’s his plan to eventually return.
When asked about a potential reunion, White largely remained noncommittal, but also indicated the company still has a lot of appreciation for Diaz and all he accomplished.
“We feel the same way about Nate. We always have,” White said. “I always joke around about dealing with the Diaz Brothers. These two, you see it now. They’re two iconic fighters that 20 years from now everybody will remember and talk about. This will always be Nate’s house. Nate grew up here. He came up on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ He fought some of the biggest fights ever here. We love the kid. I don’t know about fighting in the future, but this is always going to be his house. We’ll see.”