"I got a task at hand" - Nate Diaz offers rare compliment to rival Jake Paul but gets his record wrong 

Nate Diaz is days away from settling his differences with Jack Paul inside the squared circle of a boxing ring. The pair's fight will mark the Stockton MMA cult icon's first bout since his departure from the UFC. Many expect Jake Paul to emerge victorious this coming Saturday due to his size and power.

In a shocking turn of events, Diaz, who hardly ever praises even all-time great fighters, gave Paul his due in a recent interview with ESPN MMA. He spoke about his foe in a complimentary fashion ahead of their matchup, which comes in contrast to his past statements about Paul not being a real fighter.

Diaz was candid, openly talking about his lack of boxing experience. While he did assert that he's boxed, as far as training is concerned, throughout his career, he has never taken part in a professional boxing match. He also mentioned Jake Paul being 4-0 against MMA fighters in the following quote (at 15:54 minutes):

"I'm going over to box, I've never boxed before. I've been boxing my whole career but I've never boxed in a boxing match. This guy's 4-0 against... knocked out several world champion MMA fighters, so now I got a task at hand too."

Nate Diaz specifically referenced the likes of Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren and Anderson Silva, all of whom have fallen to 'The Problem Child.' Ben Askren was Jake Paul's first knockout over a high-profile MMA fighter. Tyron Woodley was the second. While Anderson Silva wasn't knocked out, he was soundly beaten.

This Saturday, Nate Diaz will look to avoid becoming yet another MMA fighter to lose to Jake Paul in 'The Sweet Science.'

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What was Nate Diaz's last fight?

Nate Diaz last fought at UFC 279. He was originally scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in what many believed was designed as a showcase for the unbeaten Chechen. Instead, 'Borz's' disastrous weight cut led to the bout's cancellation and the Stockton legend faced Tony Ferguson.

The two men had an entertaining bout that culminated in Diaz scoring a submission win via guillotine choke in the fourth round. The win drew significant attention, as it was not only Diaz's final UFC fight, it also happened with 2:09 minutes left on the clock, matching Stockton's 209 area code.