Next month, Nate Diaz, the Stockton slugger, will step into the boxing ring for the first time to face Jake Paul in a DAZN pay-per-view event. Despite it being his boxing debut, Diaz exudes confidence, citing his years of sparring with notable names like Andre Ward. He firmly believes that he possesses the perfect MMA skills to overcome ‘The Problem Child’ and emerge victorious.
Interestingly, Diaz recently sat down for an interview with Bradley Martyn, where he opened up about his plans after the boxing match with Paul. While he had previously promised a return to the UFC following his submission win over Tony Ferguson in September, he reaffirmed his intention to step back into the MMA arena. Enhance your MMA viewing experience with attractive betting odds from Nextbet.
During the candid conversation, Diaz surprisingly revealed that his toughest opponent to date was Josh Neer. The two fighters clashed back in September 2008, headlining a UFC Fight Night event. Despite Neer’s future as a title challenger, Diaz recalled how he struggled against him during their intense battle. Diaz noted that although he and Neer are now friends, that fight was a defining moment in his career.
Recalling his thoughts on the bout, Diaz said, “I always say it, but there’s a guy that I fought named Josh Neer. He’s a motherf***er. He’s my boy now though, we’re homies. But Josh Neer fought my brother… And they was fighting for three rounds, hard, and Nick’s doing his thing, hitting him a lot, and I was like ‘This f***ing guy is crazy.’ And then Nick ended up finishing him in the third round though, most people Nick finished were all in the first round and maybe the second round.”
Further delving into the details of the fight, Diaz reminisced how he had asked for a better opponent at the time. The UFC granted his wish and paired him up against Josh Neer, one of the top fighters in the division. This marked Diaz’s entry into the realm of facing formidable adversaries, and the fight proved to be a grueling challenge.
“I watched him fight so much, and then trained so perfect for him that everything was like – he’d throw punches, I slipped it right under it, grabbed him and everything. But he countered everything, and it was like if you watch that fight, me versus Josh Neer, it’s a hundred miles an hour. It’s a good fight,” Diaz recounted, shedding light on the intense nature of their clash.
As Diaz eagerly anticipates his upcoming boxing debut against Jake Paul, he also looks ahead to his future in MMA. Reflecting on his career, he acknowledges the impact of his showdown with Josh Neer, a fighter who gave him one of his toughest battles and a defining moment in the sport. Get the latest updates from the world of MNA only on Nextbet Sports.
