Former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion Conor McGregor has recently named the toughest opponent he has ever fought in the octagon. The Irishman picked American mixed martial artist Nate Diaz as the most resilient fighter he has faced in his career.
Since his last fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, McGregor has not stepped into the octagon as he experienced a gruesome leg injury during the fight.
During a Q&A session on Twitter, a fan asked the 34-year-old to name his toughest opponent and the UFC fighter responded with a one-word reply. The fan asked, " toughest opponent you’ve ever faced? ", to which, McGregor replied, "Nate."
After winning seven straight games in the UFC, McGregor faced his first defeat in one of his most infamous fights against Nate Diaz on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196 in the Welterweight category. The Notorious defeated Jose Aldo in record 13 seconds to claim the Featherweight title in his previous fight and stepped in the octagon in welterweight division, where he succumbed to Diaz at 4:12 into the second round.
However, McGregor defeated Diaz in a rematch on August 21 that year at UFC 202 via majority decision, which has drawn mixed reviews from the Twitterati over Diaz as his toughest opponent. With Diaz as his pick, fans are hoping to witness a possible trilogy fight between McGregor and Diaz.
While some fans appreciated Conor for being consistent with his answer, many believed him to be a liar as undefeated Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov was the toughest fighter of his career.
McGregor has competed in 28 MMA fights with 22 victories and six defeats. In the UFC, there are not many fighters who have defeated the Irishman . Currently, the 34-year-old Irish is working hard on his recovery and wrestling techniques as he is expected to step back into the octagon soon.
Meanwhile, Brazilian fighter Charles Oliveira and Russian mixed martial artist Islam Makhachev are set to face each other at UFC 280 for the lightweight championship on October 22. Ahead of their bout, Conor McGregor has picked Charles Oliveira to beat Islam Makhachev 'easily' .