Jake Paul isn't duking it out with Anderson Silva 'til next month, but he's already got his eyes on his next opponent after Spider ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to "slap the Stockton out of" Nate Diaz!!
37-year-old Diaz hinted at making the switch to boxing after his big win over Tony Ferguson on Saturday ... which certainly got Jake's attention, considering Nate's UFC contract has ended.
We spoke with Paul at his news conference on Monday ... and asked if going up against the California native was a real possibility after his Oct. 29 bout.
Nate Diaz says he’s going into the sport of boxing. pic.twitter.com/wZoKkDbN2s
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 11, 2022
"100%, 100%," Jake said. "I'll slap the Stockton out of him."
Paul says he's not looking past Silva, though ... adding he's a "crazy tough opponent" who he respects a ton.
Jake has been super complimentary of Diaz as well ... tweeting out praise for him over the weekend.
"Nate Diaz is a muthuf***in legend and would have slapped the s*** out of Khamzat [Chimaev]."
There are other guys Jake name-drops ... and they all sound like pretty good matchups.
We also spoke with Jake's older bro, Logan, on Monday ... and he gives us an update on his own boxing career -- saying something could be in the works in January.