Ahead of Nate Diaz’s boxing debut against Jake Paul, Conor McGregor has sent respect to his former rival.
The Stockton slugger is slated to face ‘The Problem Child’ in August on DAZN pay-per-view. The bout will be Diaz’s first-ever boxing match, but also his first bout since leaving the UFC. The former title challenger famously left the promotion following a submission win over Tony Ferguson last September.
Heading into his boxing debut, the fan-favorite is currently a sizeable betting underdog. However, ‘The Notorious’ actually believes Diaz will defeat Paul, as he stated in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. There, he stated that the YouTuber-turned-boxer lacked the gas tank to defeat the former UFC star.
Moreover, Conor McGregor discussed the appreciation and respect that he has for Nate Diaz. In the interview, the Irishman stated that given the near-hour that he’s spent fighting him, there’s a massive amount of respect there. McGregor also praised Diaz for giving him their infamous UFC 202 rematch, whenever he didn’t need to.
“Yeah, yeah, [the relationship] is competive, but it’s always been respect,” Conor McGregor stated in the interview. “It’s always been respect, how could you not respect the Diaz brothers and their resume in the fight game. Real fighters, what’s his promotion? Real fighters inc, fair play to him. You know, he’s a great fighter.”
He continued, “I spent, how many minutes did I spend in the octagon with him? 40 minutes, over half an hour. 4o minutes inside the cage with the lad, it’s always going to be respect off of that. And, he gave the rematch instantly. That’s commendable, that’s real warrior stuff. So for sure, I’m happy to see that respect you know.”