Nate Diaz
[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] is one of the sport’s most popular fighters. His journey to stardom started by winning the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” on which he finished every fight in the tournament.
After winning “TUF,” Diaz put together numerous winning streaks while collecting an array of bonuses, but he fell short in some big fights. After a small stint at welterweight, going 2-2, Diaz moved back to lightweight and won three straight, which earned him a shot at then-champion Benson Henderson.
In similar fashion to his brother Nick’s lone undisputed UFC title shot against Georges St-Pierre, Diaz was controlled over five rounds and lost a unanimous decision to Henderson. Though he hasn’t gotten another shot at UFC gold, the rest of his career has played out in remarkable and unexpected fashion.
After defeating Michael Johnson in 2015, in one of his best performances, Diaz called out Conor McGregor and got the opportunity of a lifetime on short notice when McGregor’s original opponent, then-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos, was forced out due to injury.
The fight was contested at 170 pounds, and Diaz shocked the world by submitting McGregor in the second round at UFC 196. A star was born, and Diaz became one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. Diaz and McGregor rematched later in 2016, and McGregor narrowly edged him with a majority decision in an instant classic at UFC 202. It was a fight Diaz was adamant he won.
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After his rise to stardom and a few big paychecks, it took a lot to get Diaz up for a fight. That resulted in a layoff of nearly three years. Instead of a desired trilogy with McGregor, Diaz fought former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, someone he had history with. Pettis defeated his teammate Gilbert Melendez, and he and Diaz have had a little bit of bad blood in the past.
But Diaz proved ring rust was not much of a factor for him. He pressured Pettis, pouring it on him for 15 minutes at UFC 241. That set up a “BMF” title fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244, a belt Diaz basically spoke into existence.
The fight delivered as expected, and while it was all Masvidal early, Diaz was still in it firing back, as always. After three rounds, the doctor decided to stop the fight due to a nasty gash suffered by Diaz for a controversial ending. With no fight booked yet, Diaz may have unfinished business with both McGregor and Masvidal, but it’s all big things ahead for the superstar from Stockton, Calif.
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