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McGregor names the toughest opponent he’s ever faced

Conor McGregor has sparred with many of the world’s finest fighters, but the former two-division champion recently revealed the opponent who put him to the ultimate test.

The 34-year-old hasn’t competed since fracturing his ankle last year against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

McGregor was defeated for the second time in a row by Poirier, and his most recent victory came in 2020 when he defeated Donald Cerrone.

Even when he hasn’t been fighting, the boisterous Irishman has never had a problem staying in the MMA spotlight.

He recently made disparaging remarks about former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, and gym photographs of “The Notorious” have sparked speculation about what he’s been doing to rehab from a broken ankle.

McGregor is always active on social media, and recently a fan asked the 34-year-old to name the toughest matchup from his fighting career.

McGregor certainly isn’t short of options for a “toughest opponent”.

He’s faced several UFC champions including José Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as shared the boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather, but the 34-year-old chose to name possibly his most famous rival.

“Nate.”

McGregor decided to immediately challenge for the lightweight belt at UFC 196 after knocking out longtime featherweight champion José Aldo in just 13 seconds at UFC 194.

An injury to champion Rafael dos Anjos wrecked that plan, forcing Nate Diaz to step in on short notice and hand the Irishman his first UFC loss with a second-round choke.

Five months later, McGregor won a hard-fought majority decision. “The Notorious” went on to successfully defend his lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez in his following fight, but talk of a trilogy battle between him and Diaz has remained a heated issue in MMA.

With Diaz seemingly prepared to leave the UFC behind after submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, the window for a third fight between the two appears to be closed for the time being.