Jake Paul claims Conor McGregor fight is next after he “knocks out” Nate Diaz

Despite having Nate Diaz in front of him, Jake Paul already has his next steps mapped out, claiming that a fight with Irish MMA star Conor McGregor will follow close behind.

Social media celeb turned divisive boxing up-and-comer Jake Paul seemingly hasn’t tempered his expectations in the face of defeat. Having been handed his first boxing loss in his most recent bout against Tommy Fury, Paul’s future in the sport remained unclear. Though just months later and he’s now gearing up for a major rebound.

With a fight already locked in against combat sports veteran Nate Diaz, Paul is getting right back in the ring with another huge draw. Set to lock horns on Saturday, August 5, the former YouTube sensation will be looking to avoid a second consecutive loss when taking on Stockton’s finest.

However, beyond this upcoming clash, Paul already appears to be confident in what will follow it up. After “[knocking] out” the Diaz brother, he’s targeting his biggest fight yet with the notorious Conor McGregor.

Moments after stepping off stage from his first press conference with Nate Diaz, Paul spoke with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. During this conversation, he locked in his next target, a familiar name he’s been plenty vocal about in recent years.

“This fight made the most sense and the opportunity was there, he was a free agent,” Paul first said on Diaz, arguing it made the most sense coming off his decision loss to Fury. “[Nate is] someone I’ve always wanted to fight and someone that’s always been on my list. I see a roadmap where I knock out Nate and go to Conor McGregor.

“Do what Conor couldn’t do, knock out Nate, then that would be the biggest fight in combat sports that could possibly be made, me vs Conor.”

Obviously, words are just words for now and Paul’s vision is but a pipe dream at this stage. But combat sports fans should know best never to say never. Many of the sport’s top pundits claimed Mayweather vs McGregor was never going to happen, until it did. So who truly knows how likely or unlikely a potential bout between Paul and McGregor really is.

Should Paul live up to his own expectations, however, he could be the first to properly knock Diaz out cold, a task no fighter has cleanly accomplished before. Though no doubt it’s a very big if, and looking beyond his next opponent could certainly backfire.

We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out in the coming weeks. Here’s how you can tune into the Paul vs Diaz fight as it goes down.