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via Imago

via Imago

Nate Diaz vs Jake Paul is finally coming through! On August 5, the YouTuber-turned-boxer is set to prove his mettle against ‘El Diablo.’ One of the most iconic UFC veterans, Nate Diaz has earned high praise from fans and well-wishers all the time. Recently, Diaz shared his honest opinion about his retirement from the UFC, and how his long-drawn career helped him roll his way out of the UFC. 

In a discussion with former NFL player Pat McAfee, Diaz gave his two cents on how he was way ahead of the trend back in the day.‘El Diablo’ reminisced about his younger days – when he had “more demand” in the UFC. What’s more – he revealed his distaste for YouTuber-turned-boxers and criticized the entire YouTube boxing community.

Nate Diaz reflects on his long-drawn career months after UFC exit

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In a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the sports analyst invited arch-rivals Paul and Diaz for a joint interview. As the discussion picked up pace, things heated up. Paul made some demeaning remarks about Diaz, saying, “He’s a punk and I’m going to knock him the f**k out!”

Nevertheless, after some back and forth between the duo, Pat turned to Diaz for a one-on-one interview. Bringing up ‌’celebrity boxing,’ the analyst asked Diaz if he had been motivated to transition to boxing because of the amount of money that the boxers were making. But, Diaz contradicted McAfee’s beliefs, stating, “I was long ahead of this sh*t before all this YouTuber boxing and sh*t showed up.”

Shifting his focus to an even more intriguing topic – the UFC icon shared a glimpse into why his career at the UFC was long drawn. He told the analyst that he had been “on a mission” to become a free agent and “get out” of his UFC contract for 10 years, but he was “stuck.

READ MORE: “I Wouldn’t Fight Nate Diaz in MMA”: Ex-UFC Fighter Drops a Truth Bomb on Jake Paul’s Potential MMA Fight

The former welterweight added, “I’ve been trying to get out [but] I’ve been stuck in. I got paid really good in the UFC.”

Talking about his initial days in the UFC, Diaz told the host that everything has gone according to plan for him. The fighter surprised fans, revealing, “My plan was to get out and do exactly what I’m doing right now, 10 years ago.” Diaz argues that even though it’s taken him longer to get to this point, he was not in a hurry to get here. 

‘El Diablo’ blasts Jake Paul and ‘YouTube boxing’

After hinting at a potential reason behind his extensively drawn career, Diaz made sure to blast Jake Paul, clearly returning the favor to Paul’s prior remarks. 

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Diaz finds it hard to digest that Youtuber-turned-boxers like Jake Paul are taking away the spotlight from deserving fighters. Diaz bashed fighters like Paul, claiming, “Now these f**kers are all showing up on the scene – yelling and screaming that they’re saving the day.”

Diaz believes that even if boxing is a sport that’s slowly losing its craze – it’s not up to some random Youtuber-turned-boxers to keep the spirit of boxing alive.

When asked about how long the bout between Paul and him would last, Diaz made a very bold claim. The American fighter-turned-boxer retorted, “… the longer it goes uh I’m gonna make sure that it’s a living hell the whole time.”

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There’s a lot on the line for Nate Diaz, especially considering this is his first bout in a boxing ring. Boxing veteran Andre Ward thinks that it’s going to be a good fight. Who do you think comes out on top? MMA veteran Nate Diaz or the explosive Youtuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul?

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