Nate Diaz names the toughest opponent he’s ever fought in MMA: “It was my hardest fight”

Former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz has named his toughest opponent to date.

The Stockton slugger is currently slated to face Jake Paul next month on DAZN pay-per-view. The bout will be Nate Diaz’s boxing debut, but he feels confident. Having spent years sparring names such as Andre Ward, the former UFC star feels that he’s the perfect MMA fighter to finally beat ‘The Problem Child’.

Nonetheless, Nate Diaz recently appeared in an interview with Bradley Martyn. There, he discussed a potential return to MMA after his boxing match with Paul. Previously, he promised a return to the UFC after his submission win over Tony Ferguson in September.

In the interview, Nate Diaz confirmed his intention to return to MMA, but he also reflected on his career in the cage. There, he surprisingly named Josh Neer as his toughest opponent. The two previously fought in September 2008, headlining a UFC Fight Night event.

There, the future title challenger scored a tough split-decision win. 15 years on from that fight, Nate Diaz believes that Neer gave him the biggest challenge of his career. It’s worth noting that Nick Diaz, too has a history with him. The two previously fought at UFC 62, with Neer coming up short by submission.

RELATED: NATE DIAZ PLANNING UFC RETURN AFTER JAKE PAUL BOXING MATCH: “WE’RE LETTING THIS GUY TALK S*IT?”

PhotoCred: Drake Riggs

“I always say it, but there’s a guy that I fought named Josh Neer,” Nate Diaz stated in the interview. “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.” (h/t MMA News)

“Time went by, and then he went down to 155 where I was fighting at. And I asked for a better opponent. I was beating people – that’s when I first got to the UFC, I beat a few people…And so they gave me Josh Neer, who was one of the Top 5 guys. That’s right when I started to fight top people. And it was my hardest fight…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.”

What do you make of these comments? Are you excited for Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul?