Nate Diaz hits back at fans who claim he is showing signs of brain damage

Nate Diaz has hit back at fans who claim he is showing signs of brain injuries ahead of his fight with Jake Paul.

The UFC star will make his professional boxing debut against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on August 5 in Dallas.

But with less than a month until the fight is due to take place, fans have raised concerns about Diaz's health, suggesting he could be suffering from brain damage after 15 years in the cage.

Rumours started to spread after he appeared to be slurring his speech during the pair's launch press conference in May.

However, Diaz has bitten back at critics, insisting that he has been talking with a speech impediment for his entire career.

Despite being notorious for his bloody and brutal fights, the American dismissed claims that he may be suffering from a potential CTE, which stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and is often found in the brains of retired fighters.

"I feel like every fight is pretty f***ed up," Diaz said on the Pat McAfee Show. "Someone's attacking you with their hands and their legs or whatever and I always think I'm always aware that I can be knocked out at any time and that's what make me train harder than most people.

"I think that I'm just conscious of that and that's the reason why I stay conscious the whole time anyway and I don't really be eating punches like how they say because the forearms and elbows and s*** cut me up. But I've been in a boxing gym and it mightn't look like it but I just roll with any of these punches that anybody lands.

"I'm not just walking in like a meathead into punches. People try to talk about me like that but I've never been knocked out [he was knocked out in 2013 by Josh Thompson], I've never even been stunned stupid or nothing like that and these f***ers will try to talk about how I talk.

"They're saying I've got CTE or some s*** and it's like bro, I've been talking this way the whole motherf***ing time. It ain't got nothing to do with getting hit or none of that and I'm smarter now than ever. I'm not trying to be knocked out so I believe he's got a long night ahead of him, I believe I do as well but I'm not afraid of it and I'm ready to rock and roll."

Topics: Nate Diaz, Jake Paul, UFC, MMA, Boxing

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno