Nate Diaz doesn\u2019t look at his win over Conor McGregor as his best fight.<\/p>\n
In 2016, Diaz and McGregor engaged in a rivalry that still lingers over the sport of MMA today. At the time, McGregor was the featherweight champion, looking to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history, but when lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of their scheduled fight, Diaz stepped in on nine days\u2019 notice, and shocked the world, submitting McGregor in the second round.<\/p>\n
That victory catapulted Diaz to overnight stardom and led to a rematch five months later that broke UFC pay-per-view records (at the time). But for Diaz, it\u2019s not necessarily his biggest or his best fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were talking about, \u2018What was your best fight?\u2019 \u2026 I\u2019m always like, there\u2019s different [ones],\u201d Diaz said on Jake Shields\u2019 YouTube channel<\/a>. \u201cBecause everyone expects, when they ask me that, they expect me to go, \u2018Conor McGregor.\u2019 I\u2019m like, bro, settle down. Because Conor McGregor was a huge fight, humongous in my career, but there\u2019s different fights \u2014 it\u2019s like a timeline.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the biggest shit when I fought Cowboy [Donald Cerrone]. That was fighting a guy that I thought, \u2018You guys are all looking at this bitch-ass motherf*cker? Nah.\u2019 Because he\u2019s the new thing coming from the WEC shit. So I beat his ass and was like, what\u2019s up? And to me, that felt like a big piece of my timeline. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I fought Takanori Gomi, and Gomi was the GOAT when I was f*cking kicking off. It was like, Gomi and B.J. Penn. And then B.J. fought him, and that was the dopest shit you could have done. That\u2019s what I tried to do, what he did \u2014 Rumble on the Rock. \u2018Uh uh, I can\u2019t do the UFC right now. I want something bigger than that. Something better than that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Diaz fought Gomi and Cerrone in back-to-back fights in 2011, after making his return to the lightweight division. And while Gomi was the easier fight \u2014 submitting him in the first round \u2014 that matchup stands out to Stockton\u2019s finest because of the pressure he felt heading into it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like there\u2019s no \u2018biggest fight,\u2019 there\u2019s just bigger ones,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cAnd biggest in what way? For y\u2019all? Conor, then. That\u2019s my answer [laughs].<\/p>\n \u201cBut for me, though, beating Gomi, that was the scariest fight of my life,\u201d Diaz continued. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why it happened so perfect for me. He\u2019s older and not peaking, but I watched him; I based a lot of my fighting off of him. I was like, \u2018Bro, shit, you\u2019re the guy, and now I\u2019m fighting you? And Nick f*cked you [up] so you\u2019re really mad at me? I\u2019m having a hard time sleeping tonight.\u2019 You might just get f*cked up because of that [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n Diaz has not had any fights in some time. He left the UFC in 2022 to pursue his interests in boxing, where he\u2019s competed twice, a unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul in 2023, and then a majority decision win over Jorge Masvidal in 2024. Since then, Diaz has been waiting for his opportunity to return, and he\u2019s content to remain out of action until the next step in the timeline shows up.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready to fight when there\u2019s someone worth fighting,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n Suspension. Conor McGregor suspended 18 months<\/a> under UFC\u2019s anti-doping policy.<\/p>\n Charges. Raja Jackson expected to face 2 charges<\/a> after assault on pro wrestler, prosecutors seeking sentencing enhancement.<\/p>\n DWCS. Fight of the Year contender highlights an insane week of action<\/a> on Week 9 of Contender Series.<\/p>\n Injury. Magomed Ankalaev suffered a rib injury<\/a> ahead of Alex Pereira rematch at UFC 320.<\/p>\n $$$$. Judge formally approves UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement payments<\/a>, fighters expected to receive funds soon.<\/p>\n Delusion. Sean O\u2019Malley explains why he\u2019s the only fighter<\/a> who can stop Merab Dvalishvili\u2019s title reign.<\/p>\n Nightmare. Matt Brown calls Jon Jones a \u2018nightmare matchup\u2019<\/a> for Alex Pereira at UFC White House.<\/p>\n Issues. UFC alerts staff of \u2018rise in cases of methanol-tainted alcohol\u2019<\/a> ahead of Rio event.<\/p>\n Rankings. Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili make big moves<\/a> in the Pound-For-Pound rankings after UFC 320.<\/p>\n Bia Mesquita interview ahead of UFC Rio and her UFC debut.<\/p>\n Contender Series highlights.<\/p>\n Michael Bisping on Alex Pereira vs. Khamzat Chimaev.<\/p>\n Belal Muhammad talking UFC 320.<\/p>\n SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE<\/p>\n Fighter reaction to the insane Contender Series war.<\/p>\n I mean, the MMA translator probably should know how to convey \u201csignificant strikes\u201d to a fighter.<\/p>\n I encourage everyone to check out the full video from the Nate Diaz stuff. Seeing Nate and Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields chop it up was nice. Nate seems so at ease and just having fun with his friends, instead of having to deal with people in a fight scenario. Some decent stories and chill vibe.<\/p>\n If you find something you\u2019d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee<\/a> or @JedKMeshew<\/a> on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n