With Jake Paul and Nate Diaz set to clash inside the boxing ring, it was only a matter of time before we saw a press conference. Although there were a number of questionable instances during the presser, fans at home seemed thoroughly entertained.
Coming into this one, a lot was made of Nate and his career plan moving forward. Having parted ways with the UFC, there has been uncertainty about his future until now. However, the Stockton native has revealed that he plans to conquer the world of boxing before returning to the UFC. Thus, Nate believes that his stock will go higher once he beats Jake.
Nate Diaz and Jake Paul argue after Nate claims he is the greatest UFC fighter of all time…
[🎥 @DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/JgtGedoeQG
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 9, 2023
Moreover, the 38-year-old believes that he will still be a big draw once he returns to the Octagon. “I’m the best fighter to ever fight in the UFC, straight up”. Responding to people doubting whether he should be in the ring with Jake, Nate had some interesting things to say. “Conor McGregor fought f**kin Floyd Mayweather, how many rounds did he fight him? Hella rounds”. Further, Nate states how he finished McGregor within 7 minutes at UFC 196.
“He (McGregor) got choked because he was not gonna try and get hit no more. He was smart and he took the way out.” Moreover, Nate makes a bold claim, “Isn’t that the GOAT of the sport? 7 minutes”. Thus, Nate believes that he deserves to be inside a boxing ring with Jake Paul and has achieved great success over his decades-long MMA career.
Conor McGregor gives his take on Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz
For the most part, many were rather surprised when Conor McGregor decided to have a say in the Jake vs Nate fight. Speaking to InsideFighting, Conor said, “I think Nate Diaz slaps the head off him (Jake Paul). I look forward to seeing it”. Thus, many were not expecting Conor to pick one of his biggest rivals to win the fight.
However, as it turns out, The Notorious One is also keen to fight Diaz when he makes his return to the UFC. With their tie currently set at 1-1, it is a trilogy that many MMA fans have longed for. Following McGregor’s comments, Nate also spoke on the matter stating, “He (McGregor) knows what’s going on. He’s fought at the highest level. He’s fought me, he’s fought Floyd”.
Thus, there appears to be mutual respect between McGregor and Diaz, despite their brutal fights.
Currently, McGregor is yet to enter the USADA pool for testing ahead of his fight against Michael Chandler. With no fixed date for the fight, it remains to be seen if and when the two will face off. In the meantime, TUF 31 will begin airing later this month down to August 15. As such, it will be interesting to see how things develop for both McGregor and Diaz at that time.
Whilst Nate’s fight with Jake Paul is set to be a mega PPV fight, there are no such indications on Conor’s side about his return timeline. Although both fighters would love to go at it again in a mega fight, the chances of it happening are very slim. However, there is still a lot of time and no doubt, fans and everyone involved would love to see something materialize later on.