Nate Diaz may be Conor McGregor’s biggest rival in the UFC, but the former lightweight title challenger will not sit by whilst the boxing community mocks ‘The Notorious’ on social media.
Mayweather vs. McGregor, which is set to take place on Aug. 26, was initially dismissed as fantasy and the boxing pundits think the Irishman has no chance against ‘The Best Ever’.
Several boxers made fun of McGregor’s shoulder-loosening technique at the media workouts and, while the UFC lightweight champion sees it as lighthearted fun, Diaz didn’t take kindly to their criticism.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Diaz laid into the boxing pros and told them that they’d get ‘embarrassed’ in a real fight.
“Boxers are clowns sometimes now,” Diaz said (h/t Mike Heck of FanSided). “I’m never taking the MMA fighters over the boxer’s side when it comes to punching and s–t, but I’m like, don’t be talking s–t. [They say MMA fighters] ‘would get embarrassed, it’s ridiculous’ yeah, but we’re talking real fighting now you one-dimensional boxing f—s. This is real life s–t, you’ll get embarrassed.”
Diaz, who is the only man in the UFC to beat McGregor, said Mayweather would get ‘slapped around’ in the Octagon.
“And now all the boxers are criticizing Conor like ‘Conor will get embarrassed’, but that’s a real arrogant thing to say,” he said. “Wanna know something that’s even more embarrassing? Is if Floyd fought Conor in an MMA match. Would be more embarrassing than if Conor fought Floyd in a boxing match. [Floyd] would get mounted and laughed at, and slapped around [and Conor] would smile at the crowd and wave.”
Diaz, who is known to train with two-weight boxing world champion Andre Ward, also laid into McGregor’s ex-sparring partner, Paulie Malignaggi, for ‘talking sh-t’ on the internet.
“Conor should beat that guy’s ass,” Diaz said of Malignaggi, who will be commentating for the May-Mac fight. “That guy was on the internet talking s–t on him the other day. I’m like, ‘What kind of sparring partners you got?’ I’d shove that guy in the gym and beat his ass if I was Conor, like, ‘what you’re going to put me on blast about what? You don’t know s–t. What gave you the right to talk s–t, criticize if we’re working together when I could beat your ass for real?’ Don’t even speak. That’s my thoughts.”
Diaz was rumored to walk out Mayweather on Aug. 26, but that seems very unlikely given his recent comments. That Californian hasn’t fought since he dropped a majority decision to McGregor last Summer.
Mayweather vs. McGregor, which is scheduled for 12 rounds under Queensberry boxing rules, takes place next Saturday, August 26, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.