Nate Diaz - The Reigning MMA Champion

Nate Diaz is an American MMA fighter who competes in the UFC. He has outstanding UFC, Strikeforce, and World Extreme Cage Fighting careers. He is the younger brother of Nick Diaz, a mixed martial artist who competes in UFC’s middleweight division. Nate has won 16 UFC bonuses, earning the status of the third most “UFC bonus award-winning fighter”.

Nate Diaz was born in Stockton, California in the United States on April 16, 1985. He is of Anglo and Mexican descent. He grew up with two siblings, Nick and Nina, and studied at Tokay High School.

Nate’s older brother, Nick, started training in martial arts first. Nate was inspired by his brother and began his MMA training when he was only 11 years old.

Currently, Diaz is a free agent, having no association with any team nor under contract with any martial arts organization.

Diaz is sponsored by Reebok, a sporting goods company that specializes in fitness footwear and clothing.

Diaz owns his own clothing brand, “Represent LTD”. The brand sells classic and trendy caps, t-shirts, and hoodies. The brand’s motto is “It’s your life, represent accordingly.”

Diaz is the founder of a central business district (CBD) company called Game Up Nutrition. This company is devoted to the production of high-quality cannabinoids, superfoods, and adaptogens. Diaz often posts on his social media to promote his company.

Diaz has announced that he will be starting his own MMA championship, called “Real Fight Inc”.

Nate Diaz has three children, two daughters and a son, with his girlfriend, Misty Brown. The eldest daughter is Nikayla Diaz, while the names of the other two children have not been revealed.

Diaz started his BJJ training when he was 14 years old. Diaz felt a need to learn  grappling to improve his MMA game so he gave BJJ a try.

Diaz was promoted to black belt by Cesar Gracie in 2012, almost 12 years after he started his BJJ training. Though Diaz didn’t train actively in BJJ, he did learn enough grappling with his whole heart that proved useful in his MMA fights. Diaz got his black belt only a few days before his fight with fellow BJJ black belt, Jim Miller.

In 2021, Diaz was promoted to a 3rd-degree BJJ black belt. This honor was given to Diaz by his black belt instructor Cesar Gracie.

Diaz made his MMA debut when he was only 17 years old. In 2002, Diaz competed against Robert Limon, a much older fighter. The two fighters engaged in a bare-knuckle fight. Diaz submitted Limon via armbar.

Diaz’s MMA debut got the attention of many popular martial arts organizations, and that’s how Diaz eventually signed a contract with World Extreme Cage Fighting (WEC). At WEC 12, Diaz debuted for the first time as a lightweight fighter and defeated Alejandro Garcia via triangle choke in the third round.

On May 5, 2006, at WEC 20, Diaz knocked out Gilbert Rael with punches in the first round.

On June 15, 2006, at WEC 21, Diaz submitted Joe Hurley via triangle choke in the second round.

On October 12, 2006, at WEC 24, Diaz lost the title of WEC Lightweight Champion to Hermes Franca via an armbar. If Diaz had won the fight, he would have become the WEC Lightweight Champion.

Before Strikeforce, Diaz fought in the finals of the Pancrase: 2005 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals in Tokyo, Japan in October 2004. Diaz lost the fight via unanimous decision to Koji Oishi in the welterweight division.

While fighting for WEC, Diaz also competed for Strikeforce. At Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie, Diaz defeated Tony Juares via TKO (punches) in the first round in the lightweight division.

At the Warrior Cup 1, Diaz won the title of first WC Lightweight Champion by submitting Dennis Davis via keylock. A keylock is a submission technique that isolates and puts pressure on the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, twisting the opponent’s arm behind their back.

In August 2006, at WEC 24, Diaz was submitted by Hermes Franca via an armbar. This is the only fight Diaz lost via submission. The MMA champion has been submitted again in his whole career.

After losing at WEC 24, Diaz trained hard in preparation for his upcoming fights. The following year, in June 2007, Diaz competed at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pulver vs. Team Penn Finale. Diaz defeated Manny Gamburyan via a knockout injury in the second round.

Despite Diaz having a contract with UFC, he returned to The Ultimate Fighter in 2009. At The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale, Diaz lost the bout to Joe Stevenson, the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion, via unanimous decision on June 20, 2009. Diaz won the “Fight of the Night” award.

At the Ultimate Fighter Series: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale held in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on November 30, 2013, Diaz beat Gray Maynard via TKO (punches) in the first round. Diaz won the “Knockout of the Night” award due to his mind-blowing knockout.

Diaz participated in The Ultimate Fighter 5 as a member of Team Pulver. This competition had solely lightweight fighters. Diaz won three consecutive fights via submission and cemented his status as one of the strongest and the most technical fighters. During the first match on April 19, 2007, Diaz defeated Rob Emerson via a rear naked choke in the second round. During the second fight on June 7, 2007, Diaz submitted Corey Hill via a triangle choke. On June 14, 2007, Diaz submitted Gray Maynard via a guillotine choke in the second round.

Thanks to his amassed MMA career, Diaz was offered a spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Diaz won four UFC Fight Nights in a row, the first three victories helping him secure his own title fight. At the 11th UFC Fight Night, UFC Fight Night Thomas vs. Florian, Diaz submitted Junior Assuncao via a guillotine choke in the last seconds of the first round.

At the UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman, Diaz submitted Alvin Robinson via a triangle choke in the first round. For this fight, Diaz won the “Submission of the Night” award.

At the UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon, Diaz submitted Kurt Pellegrino via a triangle choke in the second round. For this fight, Diaz was awarded the “Submission of the Night” award and his enthusiasm was on full display for the crowd to see.

Winning three consecutive UFC Fight Nights, allowed Diaz’s his first title fight at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer. He won the bout via a split decision. Diaz also won the “Fight of the Night” award for his outstanding win.

At UFC 94 held in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Diaz fought against Clay Guida. Diaz lost the bout via a split decision but was awarded with the “Fight of the Night” award due to his spectacular performance. This marked Diaz’s first UFC loss. Guida had the leverage of his wrestling due to which he dominated Diaz. Guida took advantage of his wrestling to dominate over Diaz.

UFC had arranged for Diaz to be in two title fights during 2009. The first was UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard, where Diaz submitted Melvin Guillard via a guillotine choke and won the “Submission of the Night” award. The second was UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz, with Maynard beating Diaz via a split decision.

Diaz proceeded to win his next two consecutive UFC fights. At UFC 111, Diaz defeated Rory Markham, a Miletich Fighting Systems specialist, via TKO (punches) in the first round in the welterweight division. Markham weighed greater at the weigh-ins due to which both fighters had to compete in the welterweight division.

 At UFC 118, Diaz submitted Marcus Davis via a guillotine choke in the third round. He also won the “Fight of the Night” honors.

Following two consecutive wins, Diaz suffered two losses in a row. At UFC 125, Diaz lost to Dong Hyun Kim via unanimous decision on January 1, 2011.

At UFC 129, Rory MacDonald defeated Diaz via unanimous decision. After suffering two consecutive defeats, Diaz announced that he would be returning to the lightweight division.

At UFC 135, Diaz was part of the lightweight division again as he decided to make a comeback. He submitted Takanori Gomi via an armbar in the first round and earned the “Submission of the Night” award.

At UFC 141 in Denver, Colorado, United States on December 30, 2011, Diaz beat Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Diaz dodged many of Cerrone’s sweeping leg kicks and made a new CompuStrike record by landing 82% of his strikes in that single fight.

Diaz’s first title fight with UFC on Fox was UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller. He submitted Jim Miller via a guillotine choke in the second round of the bout. Diaz also won “Submission of the Night” for the fifth time. This was the first time that Miller had been submitted in the UFC. Miller tried to escape the submission by attempting a takedown, but Diaz stubbornly refused to let go until his opponent had been submitted.

The next two UFC on Fox fights ended in disaster. Diaz lost the fight to Benson Henderson by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz on December 8, 2012, Diaz lost the UFC Lightweight Champion title to Benson Henderson via unanimous decision.If Diaz had won the fight he would have become UFC’s Lightweight Champion. Diaz became disheartened by this loss but resolved to stay with UFC.

At UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez on April 20, 2013, Josh Thompson, the former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, defeated Diaz via TKO (head kick and punches). After the fight, Diaz was suspended from the UFC for violating UFC’s code of conduct. Diaz was accused of using homophobic garbles on his Twitter. He was fined $20,00 and suspended for 90 days from the UFC.

In May 2014, Diaz was temporarily removed from UFC’s lightweight rankings due to being inactive for over a year.

At UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic, Rafael dos Anjos defeated Diaz via unanimous decision. Diaz did not have enough weight to compete in the lightweight division, so he competed in the catchweight division. At UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2, Diaz defeated Michael Johnson via unanimous decision and earned the “Fight of the Night” award. In the post-fight interview, Diaz called out McGregor for a fight. It happened after McGregor’s sudden rise in the UFC. Diaz realized that he is more capable of the fame then McGregor and called him out for a fight.It was one of Diaz’s most infamous post-fight interviews.

UFC 196 was the most anticipated event of 2016 since McGregor and Diaz were going to clash. It was going to be either McGregor’s or Diaz’s year. Though only given 11-days notice, McGregor and Diaz were both hyped for their welterweight division fight. Diaz submitted McGregor via a rear naked choke in the second round and won the “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” awards. This victory marked Diaz’s ninth submission win in the UFC. And Later it was proved that Diaz had the guts to become the UFC Champion and it was his year.

It was pretty shocking that Diaz came to know about the fight on such short notice. Though Diaz’s first fight against McGregor went well, McGregor took the lead in their rematch. At UFC 202 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 20, 2016, McGregor defeated Diaz via a majority decision on August 20, 2016. Even though Diaz lost the fight, he still got the “Fight of the Night” bonus because of his epic performance in the Octagon.

At UFC 241 in Anaheim, California, United States, on August 17, 2019, Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision. Diaz wanted to continue the fight but was deemed unfit by a cage side physician because of a cut over his right eye. Later, Dana White announced that Diaz had to get 25 stitches above and below his eye.

At UFC 241, the term BMF was coined by Diaz, which means “Baddest Motherf***er.” UFC used the abbreviation as the emblem for a championship belt. According to Diaz, the whole purpose of the belt was to determine the baddest and dopest fighter. White gave Diaz full credit for coming up with such a catchy title. After winning against Anthony Pettis, Diaz spoke into the microphone and claimed he was the “baddest motherf***er in the game.”

White recalled what he said when he came up with the BMF belt,

After the successful win at UFC 241, Diaz faced two lost fights in a row.At UFC 244 on November 2, 2019, Diaz lost against Jorge Masvidal via TKO (doctor’s stoppage).

At UFC 263 on June 12, 2021, Diaz lost another fight against Leon Edwards via unanimous decision.

Masvidal was the first UFC fighter to win the BMF belt from Diaz and kept the belt until May 2023. The next fight for the BMF title will take place at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

At UFC 279 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, Diaz fought against Tony Ferguson, around the same time Diaz's contract with the UFC was about to end. Diaz won the bout via a guillotine choke in the fourth round. He was also given the “Performance of the Night” award.

Earlier, it was announced that the main event at UFC 279 on September 10, 2022 would be Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev. But during the weigh-in, Chimaev was shown to be above the weight threshold at 178.5 lbs, while Diaz weighed at 171 lbs. White announced that the Nevada Athletic Commission would not allow this fight due to the large difference in weight. Instead, Diaz had his bout with Tony Ferguson instead.

According to Dan Hardy, the former English MMA fighter, the bout between Diaz and Chimaev was an “assassination attempt.”

After becoming a free agent, Diaz decided to focus on preparing for a boxing career in early 2023. Former boxing champion, Andre Ward, announced that he would be training Diaz in preparation for his boxing debut. Ward retired from the official boxing circle years ago. Now, he is making a comeback for Diaz. When asked about how he felt training Diaz,

Diaz is scheduled to compete against Jake Paul, an American boxer and social media personality, on August 5, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

While Nate Diaz is getting ready for his boxing debut, he makes time to train other fighters. AJ Agazarm is one of a few names that have become top MMA and BJJ fighters under Nate Diaz. He frequently trains fighters at his academy, Nick Diaz Academy, along with his brother and co-owner, Nick Diaz. Agazarm often credits Nate Diaz for his success. Agazarm is a 2nd-degree BJJ black belt under Eduardo Lima. he has been making waves in MMA.

Diaz has a diverse fighting style consisting of MMA, grappling, and boxing. The MMA star has been training for BJJ since he was 14 years old. And his MMA training dates way too far back. Diaz developed a tough personality due to the rough environment of his hometown, Stockton. It is an area where people test you and allow you to invoke the beast inside you. He is a 3rd-degree BJJ black belt who neutralizes his opponents with fierce uppercuts and jabs. Diaz also has this old-school warfare mentality of “kill or be killed”. He is a brawler who never backs down but rather uses his world-class cardio to put pressure on his opponents.

Diaz has an MMA record of 22-13-0. The stardom that Diaz’s success is due in large part to his exceptional striking and grappling skills. Diaz’s submission fights in the octagon are proof of his grip on grappling skills. Diaz also learned boxing under coach Richard Perez and trained with other fighters, including Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and Jake Shield. Nate often targets the heads of his opponents and lands jabs and punches on their faces. Even when it seems he is on the back foot, Nate is the one who gets beaten a lot but later, it is Diaz who brutally defeats his opponents. He is adept at turning the fights in his favor.

At the Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale, Diaz competed against Gray Maynard. Diaz kept Maynard at a safe distance and threw jabs at his face. When Maynard took Diaz to the ground, Diaz tried to get back up from a butterfly guard. Diaz, while on the ground, wrapped his legs around Maynard’s back. Maynard dragged Diaz to the fence and tried to punch his face. Luckily, Diaz managed to escape the hold and stand up. While Maynard was holding Diaz from his back, Diaz used his judo skills to throw Maynard onto the ground.

Diaz’s judo skills were visible in the match which led him to escape Maynard’s hold. After the powerful throw by Diaz, a little cut above his left eye as a aftermath of the throw and Diaz’s powerful punch. Maynard tried to kick Diaz’s shin, but Diaz retaliated by pounding and knocking Maynard down with heavy punches to the face. Diaz won the “Knockout of the Night” award for his legit victory.

Diaz fought Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 held in Anaheim, California, United States. When the fight started, Diaz went on the offensive by throwing punches and jabs at Pettis’s face. Meanwhile, Pettis kept his back to the fence to protect himself. Pettis caught Diaz’s hands and restricted his movements. Pettis then took Diaz by the neck, threw him to the ground, and applied a guillotine choke. But Diaz managed to escape to a dominant position and retaliated by punching Pettis in the face.

In the second round, Pettis stumbled from Diaz’s shin kick and fell on the mat. Diaz took advantage of the moment and went ballistic on Pettis. Diaz cornered Pettis in the cage and landed knee kicks that did significant damage to Pettis. Diaz’s knee licks dominated the second round and scores were in his favor.

In the third round, Pettis tried to control the fight by landing kicks on Diaz; however, Diaz managed to avoid them. Pettis was exhausted going into the third round, which Diaz took advantage of by landing heavy punches on Pettis’s face. Diaz defeated Pettis via unanimous decision

At UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon, Diaz competed against Kurt Pellegrino, a wrestler and a BJJ fighter. The first round of the fight was in Pellegrino’s favor. Diaz was brutally beaten by Pellegrino’s jabs, punches, and elbow strikes. Diaz suffered a cut right above his right eye but continued to fight.

As the second round started, Diaz managed to defend against Pellegrino’s strikes and punches. At one point in the match, Pellegrino managed to take down Diaz, but Diaz quickly transitioned the takedown into a successful triangle choke. While Diaz had Pellegrino trapped, he threw double punches in the air while flexing his muscles against the ground, signifying his victory even before the decision. After a few seconds, Pellegrino tapped out of the submission and Diaz won the fight. Diaz was given the “Submission of the Night” award.

Tony Ferguson is a 10th Planet BJJ black belt under Eddie Bravo and the former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. The Dark Horse is famous for his striking, grappling, and wrestling techniques that are on full display in the octagon. Ferguson is known for his calm composure during fights and a strong emphasis on ground fighting. Meanwhile, Diaz had a balanced fighting style suited for fighting on the ground and while standing up.

In the first round, Diaz landed a leg kick on Ferguson’s shin which caused him to start bleeding. Ferguson threw punches at Diaz’s face, but Diaz managed to dodge them and landed his own jabs on Ferguson’s face.

In the second round, Ferguson tried to punch the back of Diaz’s neck and land leg kicks, but Diaz managed to dodge them all. Diaz was well aware of Ferguson’s fighting style, making it easier for him to predict and dodge Ferguson’s attacks while landing his own. Diaz’s punches caused bleeding around Feguson’s right eye.

Even in the third round of the fight, Diaz was still dominating the match. Despite Ferguson’s good defense, it was clear that the crowd was way too high. There was only one word echoing in the whole arena and that was Diaz.

In the fourth round, Diaz managed to defend himself against Ferguson’s punches despite being tired. Diaz caught Ferguson by the head and submitted him via a guillotine choke. This victory earned Diaz the “Performance of the Night” award.

At UFC 135 held in Denver, Colorado, Diaz went up against Takanori Gomi. During the fight, Diaz went into the southpaw stance. Gomi attacked Diaz but failed to land any punches. Little did Gomi know that Diaz purposely lets his opponents go on the offensive to better anticipate and counter them. Diaz quickly counters with his opponents finding no way to escape the attack. Diaz took Gomi to the ground and hooked his legs around him while punching him hard in the face. Gomi knocked Diaz onto the ground and tried to punch him, but Diaz transitioned the whole situation. Diaz grabbed Gomi’s arm and submitted him via an armbar in the first round. He also won the “Submission of the Night” award.

At UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts, Diaz met Marcus Davis for the first time. Considered one of Diaz’s opponents, Davis had pro boxing experience and had won most matches via submissions. In the first round, Diaz proved he was capable of taking on Davis. He punched Davis so hard that he was left with a cut above his eye. Davis tried to catch Diaz off-balance but Diaz was prepared and hit Davis across his face, causing his vision to become blurry.

In the second round, Diaz pummeled Davis’s face, causing the cut to bloody his face due to the injury being hit repeatedly. The round ended with Diaz taking Davis to the ground and ended the second round.

In the third round, Davis’s eye was badly injured and swollen yet continued to fight. Diaz dominated in the round and submitted Davis via a guillotine choke. He was awarded the “Fight of the Night” award.

• Awarded Fight of the Night Eight Times
• Awarded Knockout of the Night One Time
• Awarded Performance of the Night Two Times
• Awarded Submission of the Night Five Times
• Tied with Joe Lauzon for third Most Submission Wins in UFC Lightweight Division
• 4th Most Submissions in UFC History
• The Ultimate Fighter 5 Winner

Nate Diaz vs Marcus Davis UFC 118 FULL FIGHT NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

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Nick Diaz vs Takanori Gomi - Pride 33 Full Fight

Photo Credit: @natediaz209