Nate Diaz set to beat Conor McGregor to the punch with pro boxing debut

His biggest rival has already been granted a boxing licence and now Nate Diaz is trying his best to follow suit.

We haven't seen the Stockton native compete since he lost that very closely-fought majority decision to Conor McGregor at UFC 202. Since then, 'the Notorious' has scored a history-making knockout over Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight strap at UFC 205 and has been perpetuating his beef with retired boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather. The crossover superfight rumours fell silent for a while, but they were resurrected like some sort of Jesus Christ-type figure with a chip on his shoulder when McGregor was granted a boxing licence by the California State Athletic Commission in December. At the time Diaz labelled this move as a publicity stunt, before announcing his own interest in applying for a licence. A few weeks later, it has emerged that he is deadly serious about his intention to become a card-carrying professional pugilist. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/816413892935118849 Diaz is in the process of applying for a boxing license in Nevada, which is rather interestingly the only state Mayweather has fought in for over a decade, as first reported by ESPN.com. NSAC executive director Bob Bennett confirmed that Diaz has already paid his $50,000 fine for his involvement in that infamous bottle-throwing incident with McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference. Diaz has also submitted video footage of himself boxing and it is expected that his application will be successful. Diaz's boxing skills saw him get drafted in as a sparring partner by pound-for-pound great Andre Ward. The two-weight world champion admitted in 2014 that he could make it as a pro boxer, praising his skillful punches-in-bunches style. McGregor is also trying to get a boxing license in Nevada, but that has reportedly hit a stumbling block with his case against the commission. His legal team will be challenging the $75,000 fine, 50 hours of community service and the filming of a public-service announcement he received from the NSAC for his role in the press conference debacle.