5 times Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz showed respect to each other

#2 Nate Diaz gives a major compliment to Conor McGregor

Nate Diaz during UFC on FOX Press Conference

Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have exchanged a ton of insults over the years, starting in 2016, when Diaz called out the 'Notorious' for the first time. However, the two have learned to respect each other after coming face to face twice inside the octagon.

After losing the rematch against Conor McGregor at UFC 202, Nate Diaz took a three-year hiatus from MMA. The 'Stockton Slugger' has often been at loggerheads with the UFC and Dana White for various reasons. In his words, he is 'too real for the UFC'.

While Nate Diaz believes the majority of UFC fighters do not understand the fight business as much as he does, he recognized Conor McGregor for being a real one. Ahead of his BMF title fight against Jorge Masvidal in 2019, Nate Diaz complimented Conor McGregor in an interview with ESPN, and said:

"He (Conor McGregor) understands all about the real sh*t too, though. I could hear when I fought him, when I fought him I was like, ‘Oh you’re really trying to get into a fight’. You recognize the real fight game. We got something on our hands here, a real fight. That’s what drew the trash into that fight, the realness of that sh*t. There’s nobody like that in the fight game.. It’s all the real truth of the game, and the truth shall set you free."

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#1 Conor McGregor names Nate Diaz as his toughest opponent ever

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Despite hating his opponent Nate Diaz for years and having tried his best to 'kill' him inside the octagon, Conor McGregor has only respect for the Stockton native. During a Q&A session on Twitter, Conor McGregor was asked about who his toughest opponent was.

Without any hesitation, the 'Notorious' named his old foe, writing:

"Nate Diaz. The west coast zombie"

Nate Diaz. The west coast zombie 🧟‍♂️ https://t.co/V1Mo0IYKGJ

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 1, 2020

Conor McGregor further lauded Nate Diaz for his fighting style and said that the two UFC athletes were pretty much the same in their mindsets. The Irishman also spoke about a possible trilogy between him and Diaz, and said that it would be a 'trilogy of epic proportions'. He wrote:

"Excellent fighter! The trilogy will be of epic proportions when it goes down. Nathan, and his fighting styles, are never far from my thoughts throughout my own practices. When it happens, I’m ready."

Excellent fighter! The trilogy will be of epic proportions when it goes down. Nathan, and his fighting styles, are never far from my thoughts throughout my own practices. When it happens, I’m ready. https://t.co/NDmvOkXLui

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 1, 2020