"It was my hardest fight" - Nate Diaz names surprising opponent as the toughest fight of his career

Nate Diaz is undeniably one of the most well-known fighters in MMA . While competing at the highest level for over 15 years, Diaz faced several notable fighters like Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, and Benson Henderson.

Despite boasting an impressive resume against some of the world's most high-profile fighters, the Stockton slugger recently claimed that Josh Neer was the toughest opponent he had ever faced.

He fought 'The Dentist' at UFC Fight Night 15 in September 2008 and beat Neer via a split decision.

In his recent interview with Bradley Martyn on the Raw Talk podcast, Nate Diaz discussed some of the wars he fought over his career. During their conversation, Diaz was asked who his most challenging fight was, to which the he replied:

"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 155lb, 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."

Watch the full video below:

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UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson on Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson recently weighed in on the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul boxing match. 'Wonderboy' claimed that while he'd love to see Diaz get his hand raised, he doesn't see him beating Paul in the boxing ring.

Diaz and Paul are set to go ten rounds in the boxing ring on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The fight would mark Diaz's boxing debut and his first combat sports outing since leaving the UFC.

The Stockton Slugger announced his free agency after beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September last year.

In a recent interview with MMA journalist Chamatkar Sandhu, Stephen Thompson was asked for his prediction for the highly-anticipated crossover boxing match. He replied:

"I would love to see Nate win this fight, but I just don't see it happening. I don't see it happening. I think Jake has solidified himself as a professional athlete. He did great in his last fight... The guy's training like a real athlete... I think Jake's got it."

Catch Thompson's comments below (1:00):