Jake Paul explains why he didn’t go for the kill after knocking down Nate Diaz in Round 5: “I didn’t want to burn out”

Jake Paul has explained why he didn’t go for the kill after knocking down Nate Diaz in Round 5 of last night’s boxing match.

Paul (7-1) squared off with Diaz (0-1) in a ten-round boxing match last night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

‘The Problem Child’ was returning to action for the first time since suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury back in February of this year. Prior to that split decision loss, Paul had gone a perfect 6-0 in boxing, which included a pair of knockout victories over former MMA champions Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.

Standing in the way of Jake’s return to the win column was former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz. The Stockton native had last competed in combat sports at UFC 279 eleven months ago, where he picked up a submission victory over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.

In the lead up to their highly anticipated showdown, Jake Paul predicted that he would knockout Nate Diaz in Round 5.

Paul’s prophecy nearly came to fruition, as he landed a clean left hook in the fifth round which sent Diaz crashing to the canvas (see that here).

Despite having Nate staggered and in trouble, ‘The Problem Child’ opted against throwing caution to the wind and just going for the kill.

Jake explained his decision during last night’s post-fight press conference.

“My motor was running hot, and I was punching him hard and hard and hard, and he just wasn’t going down. He was standing there. So, I didn’t want to burn out and let him catch a win and come back with something. So, I was being patient, being smart, and was looking for the kill. But at the end of the day, he withstood a bunch of big, big, big punches.”

Jake Paul continued and credited Nate Diaz for the toughness he showcased on Saturday night (h/t MMAFighting):

“I don’t know how he survived the first round, but he’s a dog and I walked the dog. For sure (he felt my power), I could see it the whole fight. In the first round, I seen his eyes light up and he was like, ‘OK, they talk about this kid’s power, but when you feel it, it’s different.’”

Paul and Diaz are now expected to have a rematch in MMA.