"That's where he got me twisted" - Nate Diaz and Jake Paul don't seem to be on the same page about their fight
Nate Diaz doesn't believe Jake Paul is taking their fight as seriously as he should be.
The Stockton native is preparing to make his boxing debut when he faces 'The Problem Child' on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The bout sees Diaz mark his return to competitive fighting following his decision to leave the UFC after his victory over Tony Ferguson last September.
Recently, Diaz spoke to ESPN MMA and was asked about his apparent lack of promotion for the fight. The 38-year-old explained that his goal isn't to make money, it's simply to beat up Jake Paul instead.
Nate Diaz also believes his mindset gives him an edge over the other MMA fighters Paul has faced, as he isn't looking at the fight like a "gimmick." He said:
"If people wanna watch, that'd be great, if they don't, that's fine too. That's where he got me twisted, I'm not in a gimmick fight with him. I only need him to know that I'll whip his a**, I don't need the whole world. I don't need to go begging for people to watch. Don't watch!"
Diaz added:
"I'm gonna tell you what I'm confident about. I'm not taking it lighter than anyone else. I'm confident about everything, I'm here to win and I'm here to win always."
Catch Diaz's comments here (7:05):
Nate Diaz names surprising opponent as the "hardest" fight of his career
Nate Diaz is a legend of the fight game and etched himself throughout MMA history after more than 15 years in the sport.
During his long and illustrious career, the Stockton native has fought some of the biggest names such as Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal and Tony Ferguson. Suprisingly, however, Diaz doesn't believe any of them gave him his toughest test in the octagon.
During a recent interview with Bradley Martyn on the Raw Talk, Nate Diaz named Josh Neer as his biggest obstacle, narrowly defeating 'The Dentist' via split decision back in 2008. He explained:
"I always said there was a guy I fought named Josh Neer. He's my boy now. We’re homies, but Josh Neer fought my brother... Anyway, time went by, and he went down to 155 pounds, where I was fighting, and I asked for a better opponent... And so they gave me Josh Neer who was one of the top five guys right when I started to fight top people. And it was my hardest fight."
Check out Diaz's comments here: