Conor McGregor lasted almost 30 minutes against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the ring, but Nate Diaz scrutinised Mike Tyson’s praise for his old rival.
Nate Diaz has sought to diminish Mike Tyson’s admiration of Conor McGregor after the former world heavyweight champion hailed the boxing talents of his long-time nemesis. Almost six years have passed since ‘The Notorious’ made his only professional appearance in the ring, where he suffered a 10th-round stoppage at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr..
McGregor, 34, earned widespread plaudits for his performance despite the defeat, which was ultimately Mayweather’s final pro win as he retired with a perfect 50-0 record. The Irishman boxed as a youth but had never had an official match prior to that August 2017 defeat, and Tyson recently revisited the result by pouring praise on his display.
“Conor McGregor never really had a boxing match in his life, right? Never really had a boxing match,” said the 56-year-old on a February episode of ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’. “He went 10 rounds with the greatest fighter in the last 100 years of boxing.
“He went 10 rounds, scored punches on the greatest fighter in the last 100 years. Look what he had to fight against, and look what he did when he fought against it.”
But Diaz—who became the first fighter to defeat McGregor in the UFC—took umbrage with those comments considering he’s bested the Dubliner himself. The Stockton legend submitted McGregor in the second round of their first clash at UFC 196 in March 2016, though McGregor returned the favour with a decision victory five months later.
“I took him all the way out in about eight minutes right before that,” tweeted Diaz in a caption posted over footage of Tyson’s comments. “What does that tell you.”
Some fans might argue the comparison doesn’t fit considering it ignores the fact McGregor met Mayweather in untested territory, stepping outside his MMA comfort zone to face arguably the best boxer of all time. To that point, Diaz’s decisive submission of McGregor doesn’t necessarily speak of the Californian’s boxing ability, though he did also edge that area of the first fight at times.