"I don't really be eating punches like how they say" - Nate Diaz discusses bloody fights, denies having CTE
Nate Diaz will make his boxing debut next month when he faces Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The former UFC lightweight title challenger developed a reputation for taking damage during his mixed martial arts career.
During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Diaz disputed speculation that he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE, stating:
"I don't really be eating punches like how they say. I bleed because of the forearms and the elbows and s**t cut me up but like I said, I've been in a boxing gym and it might not look like it but I roll with a lot of these punches that anybody lands on me. I'm not just walking in like a meathead into punches."
Diaz continued:
"I've never been knocked out. I've never even really been f**king stunned stupid or nothing. These f**kers are talking about how I talk and how I've got f**king CTE or some s**t. I'm like 'bro, I've been talking this way the whole motherf**king time'. It's got nothing to do with getting hit or none of that and I'm smarter now than ever."
Check out Nate Diaz's comments on taking damage below (starting at the 24:40 mark):
While Diaz has two knockout losses on his resume, he wasn't knocked out cold in either bout. Furthermore, although he has a reputation for bleeding easily, as he pointed out, those cuts are not typically from punches.
Randy Brown questions Nate Diaz's boxing ahead of debut
Nate Diaz is less than one month away from his boxing debut against Jake Paul. UFC welterweight contender Randy Brown recently questioned the former UFC lightweight title challenger's boxing ability. Speaking to Timothy James of InsideFighting, 'Rude Boy' stated:
"I think Nate Diaz doesn't have great boxing. I think he has great elements of boxing. There's things that he incorporates well from boxing in his game and he has great drop punches because he carries his hands very high and there's no tell. He just drops them on you so they're pitter patter punches. I think he gets destroyed in this boxing match." (3:45)
Brown added that while Paul may not be a high-level boxer, he spends plenty of time training in the sport. He claimed that the former social media star is talented enough to defeat most mixed martial artists in a boxing match.