Conor McGregor has named Nate Diaz as his toughest challenger in the UFC during a Q&A with fans.
McGregor, 34, is gearing up for his UFC return having not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight last July. The former two-weight champion, who has fought a who's who of names during his UFC run, insists Diaz has been his toughest challenger to date despite having been stopped by the likes of Poirier and bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Diaz and his brother Nick are best known for their relentless pressure and outstanding cardio, with both of these assets being on show when McGregor fought Diaz on short-notice in March 2016. The pair met in a welterweight fight after McGregor's original opponent Rafael Dos Anjos withdrew, as Diaz absorbed an early onslaught from McGregor in the opening round to tap him out with a rear-naked choke.
Who do you want to see Conor McGregor fight in his UFC return? Let us know in the comments section below
The rivals met again several months later, going five rounds in a back and forth war that saw McGregor win by majority decision to avenge his lone UFC defeat at the time. A trilogy fight between the pair has been touted for years, but with Diaz recently fighting out of his UFC contract it will have to wait even longer. Following Diaz's final UFC fight, McGregor wrote: "Congrats Nate Diaz on making it to the end of his contractual obligations with the UFC, and as a bonafide superstar goer. An incredible feat. Fair play. Our trilogy will happen."
Diaz agreed with McGregor that their trilogy fight will take place, but insisted the Irishman will have to get back to winning ways first. “The timing’s not on right now. We’ll worry about that later. It’s for sure going to happen at some point. … Yeah, at some point. He needs to get back on what he’s got to do, whatever that is. It’s like, when we match up, we’re going to match up. But we ain’t going nowhere," he told Inside Fighting.
