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Conor McGregor Names the Toughest Opponent of His Career - and It’s Not Khabib

The former UFC two-division champion is confident he has already fought his stiffest test.

Zain Bando

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Despite having not fought since July 2021, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor recognizes that his career is one few fighters will ever accomplish.

In that reflection, McGregor revealed that he has already met his match when it comes to competing against MMA's best.

Resurfacing on TalkSport on November 6, McGregor revealed his most challenging fights were back-to-back battles against Nate Diaz in 2016.

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McGregor's answer stemmed from a one-word reply to a fan: "Nate."

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 / Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

This shouldn't surprise those who have followed McGregor's UFC career from the onset. The pair's fights were two of the UFC's highest-grossing events in company history. UFC 196 saw Diaz pull off the upset against the then-featherweight champion McGregor with a rear-naked-choke.

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Due to the event's financial success and McGregor's star power at the time, they met again at UFC 202 in August of that year. McGregor and Diaz slugged it out across five rounds, with McGregor taking home the majority decision win.

It was the last time both men would meet inside the Octagon, creating an incomplete hole in the minds of many MMA fans worldwide.

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Diaz Reveals McGregor Wasn't His Toughest Opponent

Diaz, meanwhile, does not see McGregor as his toughest opponent. He explained his reasoning in an appearance on Raw Talk in 2023, crediting former UFC veteran Josh Neer as the man who fit the description.

Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer
Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer / Getty

Diaz had a long-standing UFC career that lasted nearly two decades across multiple divisions. He briefly tried boxing, losing to Jake Paul last year and defeating Jorge Masvidal in July. It's unclear whether Diaz will return to MMA in some capacity, either in the UFC, PFL or elsewhere.

McGregor has not won a fight since January 2020 and did not defend either of his titles after winning them in December 2015 and November 2016. He is currently targeting a UFC return in 2025.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99