Nate Diaz is undeniably one of the most popular fighters in UFC history – but was he ever actually good enough to back up his swagger?

That’s the question Ben Askren raised as he returned to his Funky and the Champ show with Daniel Cormier for the first time since his battle with illness that required a double lung transplant. The legendary wrestler and former Bellator champion wasn’t keen on remembering Diaz as a “good” fighter.

Both Cormier and Askren have held multiple world titles in MMA, albeit with the latter struggling during his brief UFC run at the end of his career. Meanwhile after winning The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz challenged for the title once at lightweight but never reached those heights athletically.

Ben Askren questions Nate Diaz as a ‘good’ MMA fighter

While some may question Ben Askren’s all-round ability and draw on the fact that he was 1-2 in the UFC, there is no denying that at one point he was one of the most dominant fighters in MMA. He arrived in the octagon as ONE FC and Bellator champion, and held an 18-0 record.

Meanwhile, he noted during last night’s episode of Funky and the Champ that Nate Diaz, despite his massive popularity, was never an elite fighter. In fact, he claimed, that Stockton brawler was only ever average, as evidenced by his UFC record.

“Nate Diaz, I don’t even think he’s that good,” Askren said, admitting that it would cause major issues with the Californian’s masses of fans online. “I’ll go get his record if you want me to but he has convinced people he’s good at fighting somehow, some way.”

When Cormier argued back that he was ‘pretty good’ and that he won The Ultimate Fighter, Askren hit him back with the numbers.

“No he wasn’t,” Askren said when Cormier suggested he was ‘good for the time when he was fighting.’ “He was average… They’re going to yell at me but okay, let’s see. His record is 21–13. That’s not that great.

“Going into the UFC he was 5-1 so within the UFC, he was 16–12 [Diaz was 16-11 in the UFC]. That’s not very good.” Cormier agreed, replying that “there’s really no way to twist that into good.”

Askren says that it was more personality outside of the octagon and antics that made Diaz a fan favorite. He then insisted that Cormier not post the interaction as a standalone clip for fear of repercussions from the ‘Diaz Army’.

“His personality caught on, he says funny things sometimes, he’s a little bit different,” Askren began. “Listen, please don’t post this clip because the Diaz Army will attack me. He has some fans who are rabid, if you say something bad about them they will come at you.”