Nate Diaz doesn’t consider his victory over Conor McGregor the best fight.
In 2016, Diaz and McGregor still engaged in a rivalry that still trumps the sport of mixed martial arts. At the time, McGregor was a featherweight champion and the first in UFC to win the two-weight simultaneous champion, but when lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos missed the scheduled match, Diaz took the place in the trailer nine days earlier, submissioning McGregor in two rounds, shocking the world.
The victory led Diaz to stardom overnight, leading to a rematch five months later, breaking the UFC’s pay-per-view record (at the time). But for Diaz, it’s not necessarily the biggest or greatest battle.
“When we were talking about ‘What was your best match?’ … I always think there’s something different,” Diaz told Jake Shields’ YouTube channel. “Because whenever everyone asks me that, I’m hoping they’ll say ‘Conor McGregor.’ I, brother, just stay calm, because Conor McGregor was a huge fight in my career, but there are so many different fights, and it’s like a timeline.
“It was the worst time I fought the Cowboy (Donald Serone) and I fought the opponent I thought, ‘Are you all watching this fucking fucking guy? I don’t want to.'” Because he’s a newcomer from WEC. So I slapped him on the butt and thought, “What’s wrong?” And for me, it felt like a big part of my timeline. …
“So I fought Gomi Takanori and when I was kicked off, Gomi was GOAT. It was like Gomi and BJ Penn. And BJ fought him, and that was the worst shit you’ve ever done. That’s what I was trying to do, what he did- Rumble on the Rock. ‘Hmm, I can’t do UFC right now. I want something bigger than that. I want something better.”
After returning to lightweight, Diaz played in a row against Gomi and Serrane in 2011. And while Gomi took a submission in the first round, it was an easier battle, but thanks to the pressure he felt towards the match, the match was Stockton’s best match.
“It’s like there’s no ‘big battle’ there. It’s just a bigger battle,” Diaz said. “And in what way is it the biggest? For you guys? Connor, then. That’s my answer (laughs).
“But for me, breaking the Gomi was the most terrifying match of my life,” Diaz continued. “That’s why it was the perfect thing for me. He’s older and wasn’t at his peak, but I was watching him. I was based on a lot of the fight. I was like, ‘Brother, damn you, you’re that guy, are you fighting with you now? And Nick messed up you, are you really mad at me? It’s going to be hard to sleep tonight.'” That could make me irritated lol.
Diaz hasn’t been fighting for a while. He left the UFC in 2022 to pursue his interest in boxing, where he made two appearances, losing to Jake Paul by Unanimous decision in 2023 and defeating Jorge Masvidal by majority vote in 2024. Since then, Diaz has been waiting for a return opportunity and is pleased that he will not be able to compete until the next step in his timeline appears.
“If you have an opponent worth fighting for, you’re ready to fight,” Diaz said.
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We recommend checking out the full video of Nate Diaz’s work. It was great to see Nate, Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields chopping up. Instead of dealing with people in battle scenarios, Nate appears to be very comfortable and having fun with his friends. A decent story and a calm atmosphere.
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