"King of combat sports" - Nate Diaz gives first comment on Jake Paul fight announcement

The trash talk ahead of Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul is already starting to heat up.

The Stockton slugger has been out of action since his clash with Tony Ferguson last September at UFC 279. In that outing, Diaz scored a fourth-round submission win over 'El Cucuy', but more importantly, he was a free agent.

In the months leading up to the event, the fan-favorite was vocal about his impending free agency status. Diaz showed interest in moving to the boxing ring and even teased a clash against 'The Problem Child'. The UFC star later attended Paul's win over Anderson Silva last October.

At the event, the two teams almost got into a brawl, setting the stage for a possible boxing match. However, many fans thought the matchup was no longer in the works after Paul's loss to Tommy Fury in February. In that outing, 'TNT' outboxed the YouTuber to hand him his first loss.

However, earlier today, Nate Diaz and Jake Paul announced that they would box after all. The pair will headline a DAZN pay-per-view card from Dallas, Texas, slated for June.

In a subsequent press release, Diaz gave his first thoughts on the contest. He stated that beyond Canelo Alvarez, Paul is the biggest thing in boxing. Diaz seems determined to conquer the sport as well, stating:

“Besides Canelo he’s the biggest thing in boxing. I’m here to conquer that. I’m the king of combat sports and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I f***ed up Conor McGregor for acting out and now here I am again, like a superhero.”

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Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul: 'The Problem Child' gives prediction

Ahead of Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul, 'The Problem Child' has given his own thoughts.

In a social media post following the fight's announcement, the YouTuber gave his thoughts on the bout. There, Paul made it clear that he doesn't believe that the aging MMA legend can compete with him.

In a lengthy social media post, the superstar predicted that August 5 would be a "funeral" for Nate Diaz. Paul added that he would send the UFC legend back to the promotion and Dana White, but in a coffin.

It's worth noting that the former UFC title challenger has voiced interest in returning to the promotion sometime in the future. Paul seems determined to make sure that return comes sooner than Diaz would like,

See Paul's post about fighting Diaz below: