Nate Diaz doesn’t take a look at his win over Conor McGregor as his greatest struggle.
In 2016, Diaz and McGregor engaged in a rivalry that also lingers over the game of MMA at present. On the time, McGregor was the featherweight champion, trying to grow to be the primary simultaneous two-division champion in UFC historical past, however when light-weight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of their scheduled struggle, Diaz stepped in on 9 days’ discover, and shocked the world, submitting McGregor within the second spherical.
That victory catapulted Diaz to in a single day stardom and led to a rematch 5 months later that broke UFC pay-per-view information (on the time). However for Diaz, it’s not essentially his largest or his greatest struggle.
“Once we have been speaking about, ‘What was your greatest struggle?’ … I’m at all times like, there’s totally different [ones],” Diaz stated on Jake Shields’ YouTube channel. “As a result of everybody expects, after they ask me that, they anticipate me to go, ‘Conor McGregor.’ I’m like, bro, cool down. As a result of Conor McGregor was an enormous struggle, humongous in my profession, however there’s totally different fights — it’s like a timeline.
“That was the largest shit after I fought Cowboy [Donald Cerrone]. That was preventing a man that I assumed, ‘You guys are all this bitch-ass motherf*cker? Nah.’ As a result of he’s the brand new factor coming from the WEC shit. So I beat his ass and was like, what’s up? And to me, that felt like a giant piece of my timeline. …
“And I fought Takanori Gomi, and Gomi was the GOAT after I was f*cking kicking off. It was like, Gomi and B.J. Penn. After which B.J. fought him, and that was the dopest shit you may have completed. That’s what I attempted to do, what he did — Rumble on the Rock. ‘Uh uh, I can’t do the UFC proper now. I would like one thing larger than that. One thing higher than that.’”
Diaz fought Gomi and Cerrone in back-to-back fights in 2011, after making his return to the light-weight division. And whereas Gomi was the better struggle — submitting him within the first spherical — that matchup stands out to Stockton’s best due to the stress he felt heading into it.
“It’s like there’s no ‘largest struggle,’ there’s simply larger ones,” Diaz stated. “And largest in what manner? For y’all? Conor, then. That’s my reply [laughs].
“However for me, although, beating Gomi, that was the scariest struggle of my life,” Diaz continued. “And that’s why it occurred so excellent for me. He’s older and never peaking, however I watched him; I primarily based a variety of my preventing off of him. I used to be like, ‘Bro, shit, you’re the man, and now I’m preventing you? And Nick f*cked you [up] so that you’re actually mad at me? I’m having a tough time sleeping tonight.’ You may simply get f*cked up due to that [laughs].”
Diaz has not had any fights in a while. He left the UFC in 2022 to pursue his pursuits in boxing, the place he’s competed twice, a unanimous determination loss to Jake Paul in 2023, after which a majority determination win over Jorge Masvidal in 2024. Since then, Diaz has been ready for his alternative to return, and he’s content material to stay out of motion till the following step within the timeline exhibits up.
“I’m able to struggle when there’s somebody price preventing,” Diaz stated.
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Damage. Magomed Ankalaev suffered a rib harm forward of Alex Pereira rematch at UFC 320.
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Nightmare. Matt Brown calls Jon Jones a ‘nightmare matchup’ for Alex Pereira at UFC White Home.
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Rankings. Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili make massive strikes within the Pound-For-Pound rankings after UFC 320.
Bia Mesquita interview forward of UFC Rio and her UFC debut.
Contender Sequence highlights.
Michael Bisping on Alex Pereira vs. Khamzat Chimaev.
Belal Muhammad speaking UFC 320.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Fighter response to the insane Contender Sequence struggle.
I imply, the MMA translator in all probability ought to know find out how to convey “important strikes” to a fighter.
I encourage everybody to take a look at the total video from the Nate Diaz stuff. Seeing Nate and Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields chop it up was good. Nate appears so comfortable and simply having enjoyable along with his pals, as an alternative of getting to take care of folks in a struggle state of affairs. Some respectable tales and chill vibe.
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