Īfter three losses in four fights, Nate considered making a permanent move up in weight to the 170 lb. 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. Diaz won by submission to a guillotine choke at 2:30 of round 2.ĭiaz 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, which Diaz won. Stevenson took Diaz down at will throughout the 3 rounds and Diaz lost by unanimous decision.Īfter two consecutive losses by decision, Diaz was billed to headline UFC Fight Night 19 opposite Melvin Guillard. Guida won via split decision, marking Diaz's first loss in the UFC, in what was also his pay per view debut.ĭiaz met fellow Ultimate Fighter winner and former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion Joe Stevenson at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. Guida used his wrestling to take Diaz down multiple times. Diaz then defeated veteran Josh Neer by split decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 15.ĭiaz next fought former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Clay Guida at UFC 94: St. As he locked up the choke, Diaz had time to flex for the crowd and throw up double middle fingers before Pellegrino submitted. Diaz defeated Pellegrino via triangle-choke submission in the second round. He was given a match with Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night 13. 2008Īfter defeating Alvin Robinson and Junior Assunção via submission, Diaz demanded tougher opponents. With the victory, Diaz won The Ultimate Fighter 5. 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. In the semifinals, Diaz defeated Team Penn member Gray Maynard by submission, advancing to the finals, in which he faced teammate Manvel Gamburyan. 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. Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighter 5ĭiaz was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5, which exclusively featured lightweights, fighting on Jens Pulver's team. This was the last event held by WEC before it was acquired by Zuffa, LLC, then parent company of the UFC. In 2006, at WEC 24, he fought for the WEC Lightweight Championship against then-champion Hermes França, losing by submission in the second round. Upon making his official professional MMA debut, Diaz competed mainly for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). Footage has since emerged of the fight and it is believed to be his first competitive experience. Prior to his official MMA career, Diaz competed in a bare knuckle MMA fight against Robert Limon on July 20, 2002, at the age of 17. He attended Tokay High School and, at the age of 11, he began training in martial arts with his brother, Nick. The son of Melissa (née Womble) and Robert Diaz, he was born of Mexican and Anglo heritage and raised in Stockton, California, with his brother Nick and sister Nina. Diaz has the third most UFC bonus awards, with 16 in total. Prior to signing with the UFC, Diaz competed in World Extreme Cagefighting, Strikeforce, and Pancrase. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 years after winning The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent.
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