Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz
Born Nathan Donald Diaz
April 16, 1985
Stockton, California, United States
Residence Stockton, California
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division Lightweight
Welterweight
Reach 76.0 in (193 cm)[2]
Style Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Fighting out of Stockton, California
Team Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Trainer Cesar Gracie (Brazilian jiu-jitsu), Richard Perez (Boxing)
Rank     Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Cesar Gracie[3]
Years active 2004–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 27
Wins 17
By knockout 4
By submission 11
By decision 2
Losses 10
By knockout 1
By submission 1
By decision 8
Notable relatives Nick Diaz, brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985), professionally known as Nate Diaz, is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for the UFC in the Lightweight division and won The Ultimate Fighter 5. He is the younger brother of mixed martial artist Nick Diaz. In addition to the UFC, Diaz has competed in the WEC, Strikeforce, and Pancrase in Japan.

Background

Nate, the younger brother of Nick Diaz, was born and raised in Stockton, California. Like his brother, he went to Tokay High School, and at the age of 14, Nate began training with Nick. Together, they run a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Lodi, California and is known to train with Nicolas 'Nico Greek' Lipari.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter 5

Diaz was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5, which exclusively featured Lightweights, fighting on Jens Pulver's team. In the preliminary round, Diaz defeated Rob Emerson by submission; in the quarterfinals he defeated fellow Team Pulver teammate Corey Hill via triangle choke submission in the first round. In the semifinals, Diaz defeated Team Penn member Gray Maynard by submission, advancing to the finals where he faced teammate Manny Gamburyan. After losing the first round, Diaz won by submission after Gamburyan was forced to tap out in the second round due to the dislocation of his right shoulder as the result of attempting a takedown.[5] With the victory, Diaz became the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After defeating Alvin Robinson and Junior Assunção via submission he demanded tougher fighters. Diaz was given a match with Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night 13. Diaz defeated Pellegrino via triangle-choke submission in the second round, after losing the first. As he locked up the choke, Diaz had time to flex for the crowd and throw up double middle fingers before Pellegrino actually submitted by "tapping out".

Diaz defeated veteran Josh Neer by split decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 15.

Diaz then fought former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Clay Guida at UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2, losing via split decision. Guida used his wrestling to take Diaz down multiple times. Diaz attempted to reverse Guida several times using judo-esque switches when Guida had his back. These switches failed to improve position for Diaz. In the 2nd round, Diaz opened up with his boxing and managed to tag Guida several times. After three rounds, the judges awarded Guida the split decision victory, marking Diaz's first loss in the UFC in what was also his pay per view debut.

Diaz met fellow Ultimate Fighter winner and former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion Joe Stevenson at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. Diaz was largely controlled on the ground due to Stevenson's superior wrestling skills. Stevenson took Diaz down at will and held multiple advantageous position throughout the 3 rounds. Diaz was unable to work any significant submissions or stay on his feet long enough to outstrike Stevenson. Diaz thus lost by unanimous decision.

After two consecutive losses by decision, he was billed to headline UFC Fight Night 19 opposite Melvin Guillard. Diaz was knocked down by a right hook seconds into the fight but recovered quickly, scoring two trip takedowns after being flipped once by Guillard executing a judo throw (harai goshi). He displayed fortitude throughout the rest of the fight, maintaining composure when hit flush several times, becoming more accurate and effective with his boxing in the second stanza, and after backing up Guillard with a left and right jab combo, his opponent backed up until he bounced off the side of the cage, missed with a swing and looked to take Diaz down. At this moment Diaz locked in a modified guillotine choke, using his right leg to keep Guillard in position. He seemed to acknowledge the crowd in attendance before Guillard tapped and Diaz won at 2:30 of round 2.

Diaz faced Gray Maynard on January 11, 2010, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 20, a rematch from when the two met in the semi-finals of the TUF 5 Lightweight tournament, where Diaz won. Diaz lost a controversial split decision to Maynard, as the former TUF winner was given the nod in the FightMetric reports, winning rounds two and three. [7]

After three losses in four fights, Nate considered making a permanent move up in weight to the 170 lb. weight class, stating "I don't make enough money to have to drop this much weight so I'd like to fight at 170 and only go to 155 every once in awhile [sic]."[8]

Diaz made his Welterweight debut on March 27, 2010, at UFC 111 against Miletich Fighting Systems product and striking specialist Rory Markham.[9] At the weigh-ins, Markham weighed in at 177, whereas Diaz weighed in at the Welterweight limit of 171 and the fight was changed to a catchweight fight. Diaz went on to win the fight by TKO in the first round.

After the win over Markham, Diaz stated he would compete in both weight classes. His next fight was again at Welterweight against former professional boxer Marcus Davis on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118.[10] Diaz utilized his reach advantage to great effect, peppering Davis with punches that caused considerable damage over time. Diaz finished Davis after choking him unconscious with a guillotine choke submission in the final round; the bout earned Fight of the Night honors.

Diaz lost by unanimous decision to Korean Dong Hyun Kim, on January 1, 2011, at UFC 125.[11] Diaz was taken down and controlled by Kim for the first two rounds. While Nate won the final round by pushing the action against a fading Kim, it was too late. Diaz lost the fight 29–28 on all judges' score cards.

Diaz fought Rory MacDonald on April 30, 2011, at UFC 129.[12] Diaz was unable to mount much significant offense, being viciously slammed by MacDonald 3 times in the third round, and was controlled on the ground by MacDonald, losing via a lopsided unanimous decision. Following the loss, Diaz stated that he would be moving back down to the Lightweight division.[13]

Diaz defeated former PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi on September 24, 2011, at UFC 135 via armbar submission in the first round. During the fight, Diaz showed improved boxing, rocking Gomi on several occasions and also showed good ground skills, transitioning perfectly from the triangle position to the armbar.[14] He earned Submission of the Night honors for his performance.[15]

Diaz defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC 141[16] via unanimous decision, in a performance that earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.[17] Despite being knocked off of his feet multiple times by sweeping leg kicks from Cerrone, Diaz had one of the best performances of his career. Diaz set a CompuStrike record, landing 82% of the strikes he threw en route to his victory over Cerrone.[18]

Diaz,after several years of training, finally received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Cesar Gracie.[19] He was awarded his black belt a month before his fight with fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jim Miller.

Diaz next faced Jim Miller on May 5, 2012, at UFC on Fox 3.[20] Diaz outboxed Miller for the majority of the first two rounds, even dropping Miller with a straight left at the end of the first round. Near the end of round two, Miller shot in for a takedown, to which Diaz stuffed and countered with a rolling guillotine choke, forcing the tap at 4:09 of the second round. The submission won Diaz his fifth Submission of the Night bonus award.[21] It was also the first time Miller had been stopped in his MMA career.[22]

Diaz faced Benson Henderson on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5 in the main event for the UFC Lightweight Championship.[23] Diaz lost the one-sided bout via unanimous decision.[24] Three weeks prior to the championship bout, Diaz signed an eight-fight contract with UFC.[25]

Diaz faced former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson on April 20, 2013, at UFC on Fox 7. He lost the fight via TKO due to a head kick and punches, during which Nate's brother, Nick Diaz physically threw a towel into the octagon, in an attempt to signal the referee to end the bout.[26][27] On May 16, 2013, Diaz was suspended by the UFC for violating the UFC's code of conduct by using a homophobic slur on his Twitter page. The UFC expressed their disappointment and suspended him;[28] he was eventually suspended for 90 days and fined $20,000.[29]

A rubber match with Gray Maynard took place on November 30, 2013 in the main event at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.[30] Diaz won via TKO in the first round.[31] The stoppage earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus.[32]

On May 5, 2014, both Nate Diaz and fellow UFC fighter TJ Grant were removed from the UFC’s Lightweight rankings after being deemed inactive by the UFC.[33]

After over a year away from the sport, Diaz returned from his self-imposed hiatus and faced Rafael Dos Anjos on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13.[34] Diaz missed weight, coming in at 160.6 pounds. He was given additional time to make the lightweight limit, but didn't attempt to cut further. Instead, he was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Rafael dos Anjos. Diaz lost the one-sided fight via unanimous decision.[35]

Diaz was briefly linked to a welterweight bout with Matt Brown on July 11, 2015 at UFC 189.[36] However in mid-April, Brown announced that the pairing had been scrapped.[37]

Film and television

Diaz stars alongside teammates Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, and brother Nick Diaz in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life, the film is directed by James Z. Feng and released in 2013.[38]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 17–10 Rafael dos Anjos Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic December 13, 2014 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Catchweight (160.6 lbs) bout; Diaz missed weight.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 17–9 Gray Maynard TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale November 30, 2013 1 2:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 16–9 Josh Thomson TKO (head kick and punches) UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez April 20, 2013 2 3:44 San Jose, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 16–8 Benson Henderson Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz December 8, 2012 5 5:00 Seattle, Washington, United States For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 16–7 Jim Miller Submission (guillotine choke) UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller May 5, 2012 2 4:09 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States Submission of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 15–7 Donald Cerrone Decision (unanimous) UFC 141 December 30, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 14–7 Takanori Gomi Submission (armbar) UFC 135 September 24, 2011 1 4:27 Denver, Colorado, United States Return to Lightweight. Submission of the Night.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 13–7 Rory MacDonald Decision (unanimous) UFC 129 April 30, 2011 3 5:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 13–6 Dong Hyun Kim Decision (unanimous) UFC 125 January 1, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 13–5 Marcus Davis Technical Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 118 August 28, 2010 3 4:02 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Welterweight debut; Fight of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 12–5 Rory Markham TKO (punches) UFC 111 March 27, 2010 1 2:47 Newark, New Jersey, United States Catchweight (177 lbs); Markham missed weight
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 11–5 Gray Maynard Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz January 11, 2010 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win 11–4 Melvin Guillard Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard September 16, 2009 2 2:13 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Submission of the Night.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10–4 Joe Stevenson Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale June 20, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10–3 Clay Guida Decision (split) UFC 94 January 31, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10–2 Josh Neer Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs Neer September 17, 2008 3 5:00 Omaha, Nebraska, United States Fight of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9–2 Kurt Pellegrino Submission (flying triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs Lauzon April 2, 2008 2 3:06 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Submission of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8–2 Alvin Robinson Submission (triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman January 23, 2008 1 3:39 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Submission of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–2 Junior Assunção Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs Florian September 19, 2007 1 4:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Submission of the Night.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–2 Manny Gamburyan Submission (shoulder injury) The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale June 23, 2007 2 0:20 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the The Ultimate Fighter 5.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 5–2 Hermes França Submission (armbar) WEC 24: Full Force October 12, 2006 2 2:46 Lemoore, California, United States For the WEC Lightweight Championship.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–1 Dennis Davis Submission (americana) Warrior Cup August 12, 2006 1 2:00 Stockton, California, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–1 Joe Hurley Submission (triangle choke) WEC 21: Tapout June 15, 2006 2 2:03 Highland, California, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–1 Gil Rael TKO (punches) WEC 20: Cinco de Mayhem May 5, 2006 1 3:35 Lemoore, California, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–1 Tony Juares TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie March 10, 2006 1 3:23 San Jose, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1–1 Koji Oishi Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: 2005 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals August 27, 2005 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Alejandro Garcia Submission (triangle choke) WEC 12 October 21, 2004 3 2:17 Lemoore, California, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–0 Gray Maynard Submission (guillotine choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 June 14, 2007 (airdate) 2 1:17 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter 5 Semi-Final round
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–0 Corey Hill Submission (triangle choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 June 7, 2007 (airdate) 1 3:02 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter 5 Quarter-Final round
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Rob Emerson Submission (rear naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 April 19, 2007 (airdate) 2 4:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter 5 Preliminary round

See also

References

  1. ↑ UFC Fight Night Dos Santos vs Miocic
  2. ↑ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Dos Santos vs. Miocic". UFC.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ Thomas Myers (April 5, 2012). "Nate Diaz finally awarded Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt". mmamania.com.
  4. ↑ Fowlkes, Ben (4 May 2012). "A Tale of Two Diaz Brothers". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Stupp, Dann (June 24, 2007). "Manny Gamburyan Confirms Shoulder Dislocation". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  6. ↑ Gerbasi, Thomas (September 16, 2008). "Nate Diaz – The Throwback". Ufc.com. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  7. ↑ Fagan, Mike (January 12, 2010). "FightMetric Report for Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  8. ↑ Rossen, Jake (January 12, 2010). "Diaz Looking at 170 lbs". Sherdog. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
  9. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (January 18, 2010). "Nate Diaz headed to welterweight, could meet Rory Markham at UFC 111". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Marcus Davis vs Nate Diaz official for UFC 118 in August". MMAjunkie.com. June 23, 2010.
  11. ↑ Karkoski, Kris (October 6, 2010). "Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim Added to UFC 125 on Jan. 1". mmafrenzy.com.
  12. ↑ "Nate Diaz meets Rory MacDonald at UFC 129". MMAjunkie.com. January 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Nate Diaz will be moving back to the lightweight division". mmabay.co.uk. 2011-05-02.
  14. ↑ Mrosko, Geno (June 21, 2011). "Takanori Gomi vs Nate Diaz fight set for Sept. 24 in Denver". mmamania.com. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  15. ↑ "UFC 135 bonuses: Koscheck, Diaz, Jones and Jackson earn $75K fighter awards". mmajunkie.com. 2011-09-25.
  16. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (October 30, 2011). "Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz targeted for UFC 141 in Las Vegas". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  17. ↑ "UFC 141 bonuses: Hendricks, Diaz and Cerrone get $75,000 awards". mmajunkie.com. 2011-12-31.
  18. ↑ Howie, Chris (January 1, 2012). "Nate Diaz Sets CompuStrike Record At UFC 141". Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  19. ↑ Myers, Thomas (April 5, 2012). "Nate Diaz finally awarded Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt". mmamania.com. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller booked for UFC on FOX 3 in New Jersey". MMAjunkie.com. January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  21. ↑ "UFC on FOX 3 bonuses: Johnson, Diaz, Gaudinot and Lineker earn $65K awards". MMAjunkie.com. May 5, 2012.
  22. ↑ "UFC on FOX 3 results: Nate Diaz wins again, becomes first to stop Jim Miller". mmajunkie.com. 2012-05-06.
  23. ↑ rossc (August 15, 2012). "Ben Henderson Vs Nate Diaz Headlines Stacked UFC On FOX 5 Event". fightofthenight.com.
  24. ↑ Gene Mrosko (December 8, 2012). "UFC on FOX 5 results: Ben Henderson destroys Nate Diaz to retain lightweight title". mmamania.com.
  25. ↑ Helwani, Ariel (April 8, 2014). "Nate Diaz breaks silence about issues with UFC; Dana White responds". MMAfighting.com.
  26. ↑ "Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson added to April's UFC on FOX 7 event". MMAjunkie.com. January 29, 2013.
  27. ↑ Chiappetta, Mike (April 20, 2013). "UFC on FOX 7 results: Josh Thomson becomes first to knock out Nate Diaz". Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Nate Diaz banned indefinitely". ESPN. May 16, 2013.
  29. ↑ "UFC SUSPENDS NATE DIAZ 90 DAYS, FINES LIGHTWEIGHT $20,000 FOR VIOLATING CODE OF CONDUCT". Sherdog. May 17, 2013.
  30. ↑ Dana Becker (September 8, 2013). "Gray Maynard-Nate Diaz III Set For Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale". fightline.com. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  31. ↑ Brett Okamoto (2013-11-30). "Nate Diaz stops Gray Maynard". espn.go.com.
  32. ↑ "TUF 18 Finale bonuses: Nate Diaz moves into third place all time with 11th bonus". mmafighting.com. 2013-12-01.
  33. ↑ Henderson, Jason (6 May 2014). "Nate Diaz And TJ Grant Removed From UFC’s Lightweight Rankings". Fight of the Night. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  34. ↑ Dave Doyle (2014-09-23). "Nate Diaz ends holdout, meets Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 13". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  35. ↑ Dave Doyle (2014-12-13). "UFC on FOX 13 results: Rafael dos Anjos clobbers Nate Diaz". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
  36. ↑ Staff (2015-04-08). "Nate Diaz returns to welterweight, meets Matt Brown on stacked UFC 189 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  37. ↑ Staff (2015-04-15). "Matt Brown says he's no longer fighting Nate Diaz at UFC 189". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  38. ↑ Fight Life: MMA Documentary
  39. ↑ http://m.sherdog.com/news/articles/2/Sherdogcoms-2011-AllViolence-Team-38799

External links