If Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds, Jake Paul is more than happy to accept.
Ahead of their Aug. 5 showdown in Dallas, Paul took to social media on Tuesday to reveal that Diaz has asked for the fight to shift from an 8 round fight to 10 rounds instead. Paul welcomed that stipulation, which will be the first time he’s been scheduled for a 10-round fight during his boxing career.
“Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “I guess he has good cardio. OK Nathan, 10 rounds it is.”
Nate Diaz wants 10 rounds. I guess he has good cardio. Ok Nathan, 10 rounds it is.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 13, 2023
The fight was originally scheduled to be contested for eight rounds at 185 pounds with the fighters wearing 10-ounce gloves. Everything else regarding the fight is expected to stay the same.
Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield confirmed in a separate message to MMA Fighting that an official request has been made to shift the bout to 10 rounds and the move is awaiting approval from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Of course, Diaz is well known for his extraordinary conditioning where he tends to get stronger as his fights move forward and he often times used that weapon to bludgeon his opponents in later rounds.
During a 25-minute showdown with future UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards in 2021, Diaz nearly scored a late finish in the fifth and final round despite losing the majority of the fight up to that point.
Diaz also displayed that durability and staying power in his rematch with Conor McGregor in 2016 as he dealt with an early barrage from the Irish superstar yet he kept coming back until the final horn sounded.
It looks like Diaz wants to bank on that conditioning and durability again as he makes his professional boxing debut against Paul in August.
The fight will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with the card distributed through DAZN pay-per-view around the globe.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.