Negative buzz Nate Diaz taking on Jake Paul bout reminds of first Conor McGregor fight, says training partner - "People are way underestimating"

Nate Diaz is scheduled to face Jake Paul in a boxing match on August 5. Despite the Stockton legend being a far more experienced fighter, courtesy of his long tenure with the UFC, many are favoring 'The Problem Child' in the upcoming matchup due to Paul's younger age, larger size and greater knockout power.

However, former UFC fighter and Skrap Pack member Jake Shields believes that everyone is making a mistake by underestimating Nate Diaz. In a recent interview with Helen Yee, he offered his thoughts on the matchup and touched on Nate Diaz's experience training with pro boxers.

He pointed out Nate Diaz's past sparring sessions with Andre Ward, a multi-time world champion boxer who retired with an undefeated record of 32-0. Jake Shields even claimed that it reminds him of how everyone heavily underestimated his teammate ahead of his first bout with Conor McGregor:

"You know, Andre Ward is a multi-time world champion, undefeated boxer, one of the most underrated boxers ever, and Nate would go and box him for 10 rounds. So, I think people are way underestimating his boxing. I saw the betting odds, he's a more than two-to-one underdog, which to me that's baffling. So, I looked at that and I can't believe people are looking past him again. It's kind of like the first Conor fight."

Check out the interview below (4:00):

While many are expecting 'The Problem Child' to win, upsets are part of combat sports and a Diaz win will only further his legend given how poorly former MMA champions like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley fared against Jake Paul.

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What was Nate Diaz's final UFC run like?

Before walking away from the UFC, Nate Diaz took part in several memorable bouts. Few will forget his entertaining rivalry with Conor McGregor.

After his pair of fights with the Irishman, the Stockton cult icon faced former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, defeating him via unanimous decision.

Perhaps his most important bouts, however, were his final three. Against Jorge Masvidal, he introduced the MMA world to the concept of the 'BMF' championship. Unfortunately for Diaz, he failed to capture it.

He subsequently faced future UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, suffering a lopsided loss. Despite being dominated, Diaz had a memorable moment in the closing stages of the bout when he badly rocked Edwards. Instead of pursuing the finish, he laughed and pointed at his stunned foe.

His final fight in the promotion was a submission win over Tony Ferguson, choking him out with 2:09 left in the fourth round of their bout.