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Nate Diaz is among the biggest superstars to ever grace the UFC octagon. The Stockton legend's rise to fame and prominence came despite his inconsistent performances inside the octagon, as fight fans everywhere gravitated towards Diaz's authenticity and unapologetic demeanor.
Alongside his older brother, Nate Diaz enjoys a cult following across all of MMA. The sway that the former lightweight contender continues to hold over the sport's spectators is such that the UFC willingly obliged his desire to defend his status as the celebratory "baddest motherf*cker" (BMF) champion by creating a silver-plated championship belt in honor of the symbolic title.
While Diaz lost the bout to Jorge Masvidal for the championship, his star power remains permanent. Thus, this list goes over five of Nate Diaz's greatest moments in the UFC.
#5. Nate Diaz finished Gray Maynard in round one
Like his brother, Nate Diaz is also known for his volume rather than his punching power. The former lightweight contender is often described as being pillow-fisted due to the low number of knockouts on his record. In 20 of his wins, Diaz has only managed to knockout five of his opponents, with most of his victories coming via submission or decision.
Thus, his rematch against Gray Maynard in The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale ranks as a performance for the ages, least of all because their initial matchup ended in a razor-thin split-decision win for Diaz. Furthermore, at the time, Maynard was an extremely successful fighter with only two losses on his record. So when Nate Diaz dealt him a brutal beating in the first round itself, fans were left speechless.
After repeatedly battering Maynard with over 20 unanswered blows to the head, Diaz was eventually pulled away by the referee. Seconds later, a wobbled and beaten Maynard stumbled, collapsing to his knees in defeat to a fighter many dismissed as pillow-fisted.
#4. Rocking Leon Edwards at UFC 263
While Nate Diaz's welterweight run has been largely fruitless in terms of wins, it has led to a series of memorable moments ranging from his part in creating the BMF championship to his thrilling but ultimately unsuccessful fifth-round rally against Leon Edwards, who became the UFC welterweight champion in his next bout. This matchup was Diaz's first in nearly 2 years.
Much of the bout transpired as the MMA media predicted. Edwards was fairly dominant as he outstruck the Stockton legend. Furthermore, 'Rocky' even managed to trip Diaz several times throughout the fight. In the final minute of the fifth round, however, Nate Diaz nearly shocked the world by rocking his foe with a brilliant southpaw right jab plus a straight left combination, which snapped Edwards' head sideways.
A bloodied and cut up Diaz pointed at a wobbled Edwards in open mockery to immortalize the moment. While Nate Diaz was ultimately unable to finish his opponent, the only thing that fight fans across the globe could remember after nearly five rounds of dominance from Leon Edwards was Nate Diaz almost knocking him out unconscious.
#3. Winning The Ultimate Fighter 5
It's unclear when or if Nate Diaz would have even signed with the UFC had he not been a participant in the season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter reality television series. Fighters who take part in TUF compete for what the UFC describes as a six-figure contract. In more exact terms, the contract is a three-year agreement during which a fighter can potentially earn as much as $300,000 if they manage an unbeaten 9-fight run or as low as $150,000 if they lose all nine bouts.
Diaz was unaware of the stipulation, expressing his exasperation over it afterwards. Thus, had Nate Diaz not stormed through the tournament's participants to claim victory, he might have reconsidered signing with the UFC as he was under the initial impression that he had won a contract that would earn him a six-figure payday. Without the years Nate Diaz has committed to the UFC, the promotion would have been robbed of various historic milestones.
Without Nate Diaz, the UFC would not have had his storied rivalry with Conor McGregor or the creation of the BMF belt. None of the things Diaz is remembered for would have been possible had he not signed with the promotion, and he might not have signed with the UFC had he known about the stipulation in the TUF contract. As a result, Diaz's TUF 15 win is one of his greatest-ever moments due to its part in opening the door for his other great moments in the UFC.
#2. His post-fight interview at UFC on Fox 17
After Nate Diaz's thrilling first-round TKO win over Gray Maynard, he took a year-long sabbatical from the sport before returning to face future UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Unfortunately, the younger Diaz brother was unsuccessful in his attempt at ending the Brazilian's win streak. After losing a lopsided bout to 'RDA', Diaz took another year-long sabbatical from the UFC.
Upon his return, the Stockton legend was booked to face Michael Johnson in a matchup that many at the time felt favored Johnson. Diaz, however, looked better than ever, outstriking his foe with his impressive boxing skills. When Joe Rogan stepped inside the octagon for the post-interview, his attempt at praising Nate Diaz for his performance was interrupted by one of the most infamous callouts in UFC history.
All but ignoring Joe Rogan's words, Diaz grabbed the microphone before unleashing a profanity-laced verbal assault against Conor McGregor, accusing the Irishman of taking everything he'd worked for while swearing to fight him. It shocked the world as Diaz never mentioned McGregor prior. Not only was the post-fight interview entertaining, it was successful as Nate Diaz's next opponent was McGregor himself, sparking an all-time great MMA rivalry.
#1. Beating Conor McGregor
After defeating Michael Johnson and calling out Conor McGregor for a bout, Nate Diaz waited patiently on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the Irishman set his sights on capturing UFC gold in a second division by challenging former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Alas, the matchup was not to be as the MMA gods had decided that McGregor's opponent would instead be Nate Diaz.
'RDA' withdrew from the scheduled UFC 196 main event bout against Conor McGregor, citing a broken foot. After José Aldo declined the UFC's offer for him to step in as a late-notice replacement, Diaz stepped in. Although he only had 11 days to prepare, the Stockton legend was as confident as he'd ever been. No one expected him to win, least of all due to the little preparation time he was given, but it hardly mattered to the former lightweight.
When both men locked horns, Diaz spent the first round leaning from McGregor's punches, forcing the Irishman to overextend. After some time, Diaz began walking his foe down, raising his guard high while tucking his chin in, blocking every shot while ensuring that any punches that slipped through the gaps in his guard landed on his forehead.
Diaz's forward pressure caused McGregor to constantly reset his preferred counterpunching distance, disrupting his foe's rhythm while countering him. By the second round, McGregor was exhausted. Within minutes, a one-two combination from Diaz rocked the Irishman and he dove in for an ill-timed takedown. Diaz sprawled and a scramble ensued, culminating in him capturing the Irishman's exposed neck with a rear-naked choke to seal the greatest win of his career.
