Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has backed Nate Diaz not to sign a fresh UFC contract and instead face-off against Jake Paul.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is expected to face off against Tommy Fury before the end of the year, with a rumoured date of December 18th in Miami.
While that fight has been simmering away for a while, with the pair regularly exchanging barbs on social media, plenty of speculation on future opponents for the American continues.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson is among the latest names being thrown around and Bisping believes that Diaz could also be on the cards.
"The UFC are very smart and, generally, someone like Nate Diaz isn't just going to get to fight out of his contract," Bisping said in a video for his YouTube channel.
"This is just the way they operate. A lot of promotions, they all do it. You negotiate before the final fight of the contract so who knows?"
"I don't think Dana would ever do a joint promotion with Jake Paul. But I would love to see Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul. I think that would be a tremendous fight but it's not a case of that."
Dana White has confirmed that Diaz is heading towards the last fight of his current deal, stating in a press conference:
"Yeah, he's got one more fight. We're working on a fight for him. Tony wasn't one of those guys we were working on but we're working on a fiver for Nate now. He's got one fight left."
While Paul looks set to face Fury before the end of the year, it's clear he's still keeping his finger close to the buzzer as he eyes future opportunities in 2022.
