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Nate Diaz

From: Stockton, California, United States
Born: Apr 16, 1985
Height: 183cm
Weight: 77kg

The UFC may have some of the toughest fighters in the world, but Nate Diaz is on another level. Built like a tank, he can take all sorts of punishment and is a fan favorite for his never say die attitude. One of the Diaz brothers, he gained superstardom after his thriller against Conor McGregor at UFC 196.

Diaz has been in the fighting business for more than two decades now. So, what had he accomplished before that career-changing bout? And what has he done after he feuded with the notorious one? The following piece tells you all about his life:

Nate Diaz’s Age and Early Life

Nathan Donald Diaz was born on April 16th, 1985 to a working-class Mexican-American family. He was born and raised in a rough neighborhood in Stockton, California; a city that he’s helped popularize. His mother’s name is Melissa Diaz, not much is known about his dad though.  

Diaz has an older brother and a younger sister. His older sibling is MMA legend Nick Diaz, who he followed into MMA. Nick trained in BJJ to become a fighter, which also inspired an 11yo Nate. They were relatively poor, but their older gym mates used to buy them food and this made training easier.

Fighting Career in the WEC

Diaz’s first competitive matchup in MMA was a bare-knuckle bout at the age of 17. At 19, he made his debut for World Extreme Cagefighting, one of the largest MMA organizations in the US at the time. One year later, he also represented the US at the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships where he won silver.

Competing in the lightweight division, Diaz would land a WEC title shot after just 5 fights in the company. He was unable to capture the gold and got submitted by Hermes França. This stint was enough for the UFC to notice him and he got a spot in their reality show, The Ultimate Fighter 5.

Nate Diaz Joining the UFC

Part of Team Pulver, Nate would defeat Gray Maynard in the semis. He’d go on to win the competition as he defeated his teammate Manvel Gamburyan at the TUF 5 Finale. As a result of this, he was awarded a six-figure UFC contract in 2007.

Nate went hard in 2007-08 with three back-to-back submission wins; the third one being against Kurt Pellegrino in spectacular fashion. He won two Submission of the Night awards in these three fights. He then won a close fight against MMA vet Josh Neer.

In 2009, he made his PPV debut against his toughest opponent to date, former Strikeforce champ Clay Guida. Guida dominated with his wrestling, winning a split decision to give Nate his first UFC loss. He then had a unanimous decision loss to TUF 2 winner and former KOTC lightweight champ Joe Stevenson.

He then got a main event win over Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard. Diaz would lose to Gray Maynard in a rematch in a very controversial split decision. In 2010, he fought at welterweight where he’d get wins over Rory Markham and Marcus Davis; the latter getting a Fight of the Night honor.

2011 saw him lose two decisions – one to the undefeated sensation, Dong Hyun Kim; the other to a former KOTC LW champ in Rory Macdonald. After these two losses, he moved back down to LW. Diaz then submitted former PRIDE lightweight champ Takanori Gomi in the first round and won SOTN.

The next matchup was to become one of his best ever, as he defeated Donald Cerrone by decision. Heis first fight in 2012 saw him submit Jim Miller in the second round and win another SOTN bonus. This got him a lightweight title shot against Benson Henderson, in which Diaz got outclassed.

2013 saw Diaz get knocked out by the former Strikeforce LW champ Josh Thomson, before getting suspended for misconduct. He returned to win the rubber match against Gray Maynard with a first-round TKO.

He then took a year’s hiatus to finally return in 2014, losing to RDA in a one-sided fight. The next year, he returned and defeated Michael Johnson. After winning, he delivered one of the most iconic MMA post-fight interviews ever, calling out the most popular fighter in the sport: Conor McGregor.

He’d fight McGregor at 170lbs. in 2016 and give the Irishman his first-ever UFC loss. This win raised his stock quite a bit and he gained a lot of popularity. Diaz would lose to McGregor by decision in a rematch. He then returned after three years to defeat lightweight hotshot Anthony Pettis by another decision.

That same year, Diaz faced Jorge Masvidal for the UFC BMF championship. He lost when the doctor stepped in.

Despite his win/loss record, Diaz is still a fan favorite and is highly in demand. Fans are hellbent on watching a third fight between him and McGregor.

Nate Diaz Outside the UFC

Outside MMA, Diaz is quite vocal on social media. He often makes tweets and he posts pics of him training and hanging out with his boys on Instagram. Diaz runs a BJJ school with his idol and older brother Nick, and both are popular advocates of marijuana products. He follows a vegan diet.

When was Nate Diaz’s Last Fight?

Nate Diaz’s last fight happened in 2021 at welterweight against the title contender Leon Edwards. Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Edwards despite getting the best of him at the end of the fight.

What is Nate Diaz’s Next Fight?

It looks like he may be set to fight the fast-rising Khamzat Chimaev, who’s ranked #3 in the welterweight division.

Is Nate Diaz Married?

Nate Diaz is not currently married. He lives with his girlfriend Misty Brown, and their daughter.

What is Nate Diaz’s Net Worth?

According to most sources, Nate Diaz’s net worth is $8 million. He made $1.12 million for his last fight against Leon Edwards.

Videos of Nate Diaz

This fighter profile was last checked and updated on: June 17, 2022