Nate Diaz and Jake Paul faced off in front of the media at the official launch press conference for their blockbuster crossover boxing match in Dallas in August, with Diaz keen to stress that he will enter the ring as much more than just a seasoned MMA fighter.
Diaz answered questions from the stage as he discussed a number of topics related to the upcoming bout, his departure from the UFC, and his plans for after the matchup.
Here is a quickfire rundown of his key quotes from the press conference:
Diaz on boxing Jake Paul
"Post-UFC, my plan was always to fight the biggest names and the best fighters there are. I've been trying to get out of the UFC for a long time because I knew I knew that I would work. What fighters worked and what I should do. I have a long road but he was doing the biggest and the best things for fighting and in fighting and I was glad. I had a worthy opponent to make an attack on, as soon as I got out."
Diaz on Paul's progress to date
"He's doing a good job. He's been punished, like he said. As far as the fighter, he's young, he's motivated. He's working hard. I can see that. I'm sure everybody can see that. That’s kind of motherf****r’s unstoppable. That’s why I wanted to fight Conor and the (reason) I took time off from my fights, when I was fighting was because I wanted top guy and they were trying to give me some f*****g lame ass motherf****r. (I want to fight the) best of the best and I think you did a great job and you motherf*****s know that I do a great job, too."
Diaz on Jake Paul's loss to Tommy Fury
"No one won or lost. That's why I wanted to fight (Paul). You know, I want to fight the guys who win, but I don't think he lost the fight anyways. And I think that was a hard fight to take."
Diaz on representing MMA in the matchup
"I was being stereotyped as an MMA fighter. I don't like being stereotyped as an MMA fighter. I'm a black belt in jiu-jitsu and I would have been a pro boxer when I was 18 years old, but a cage fight came up first. So I was stuck in a cage my whole career. And there were times when I got locked out and contracted right away, so I was just locked in longer and longer.
"I've been going to boxing gyms since I was 15 years old. I'm a pro boxer and I don't think I've ever got my ass whupped in a boxing gym and not come back as the last guy to win when the round ends. So, I've always wanted to box and like I said, I’ve felt like a pro boxer the whole time. Every fight in MMA, I was training just like any boxer trains for a boxing match. So yeah, I'm glad I get to come here and showcase my skills in boxing."
Diaz on what's next after the Jake Paul bout
"I don’t plan on losing to anybody, but no matter what happens, I'll be here, forever. I'll be fine. No, I'll be here. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I feel the same now as I did when I was 18, just with a lot more experience and time under my belt, you know? And so the show for me is going on."
Diaz on his professional fighting record
"I'm the best fighter ever, everybody agrees with that."
[Paul: You’ve got 15 losses.]
"But who did I fight? Top 10. I've been fighting top 10 guys the whole time. I probably fought five guys in my whole career that weren't top 10 when I wasn't top 10 either. What happened with Conor McGregor? How many rounds did I fight him? I f*****g knocked his ass out in seven minutes. He got choked, because he was not trying to get hit no more, and he was smart and took the way out. That's the way to get out here. Take it the way he had to. Isn’t that the goal of the sport? Seven minutes."
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz takes place August 5 in Dallas, Texas.
