Biography and Profile of Nate Diaz

If you saw UFC Fight Night 13, then you know all you need to about Nate Diaz. MMA veteran Kurt Pellegrino dominated him in the first round with ground and pound, even opening a cut over his right eye. But Diaz, as he has come to be known for, persevered. And in the second, Diaz got taken down again. But this time, he immediately transitioned to a triangle choke. In the midst of it all, he even decided to flip everyone off.

Of course, Pellegrino tapped.

Toughness, perseverance, brashness, and submission skills. These are some of Nate Diaz's favorite things. Here is his story.

Date of Birth

Nate Diaz was born on April 16, 1985, in Stockton, California.

Training Camp and Fighting Organization

Diaz mainly trains with Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. That said, as is the case with the majority of that training camp, he also puts in time at El Nino Sports and Fairtex Gym. Diaz fights for the UFC organization.

Martial Arts Background

Like his brother Nick, who is also an MMA fighter, Nate began training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie in adolescence. At this time, he holds the rank of black belt in BJJ under Gracie. He also trains in boxing and kickboxing.

MMA Beginnings

Diaz began his professional MMA career on October 21, 2004, at WEC 12, defeating Alex Gracia by triangle choke. Overall, he would post a 5-2 MMA record to start things off, losing his last fight in that string to Hermes Franca for the WEC lightweight championship.

Interestingly, the UFC came calling after that loss...in an uncustomary way.

TUF 5

Diaz was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 5, a reality television show that pits fighters in a house against one another in a single elimination tournament. Diaz won the show, defeating fighters like Gray Maynard and Manvel Gamburyan (in the finale) by stoppage.

Later, at UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz, Maynard would gain his revenge against Diaz by split decision.

Fighting Style

Diaz's fighting style is very similar to his brother's. Nate like's to use his long arms, great cardio, and strong boxing to continually pepper opponents on his feet. This tends to wear them down. In addition, he is an awesome Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, both off his back and from the top position. In other words, there is no position an opponent is safe with him.

Finally, Diaz is tough as nails. Though he is not very physically powerful, he is known for some excellent judo style takedowns.

Some of Diaz's Greatest MMA Victories

Diaz defeats Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision at UFC 141: As is customary when the Diaz's throw down, there was a lot of trash talk prior.  That said, when fight time came, the man from Stockton showed up.  He utilized his boxing and high output to close the distance and make Cerrone's kicks near useless, en-route to a clear decision victory.

Diaz defeats Marcus Davis by guillotine choke at UFC 118: Marcus Davis is known as one of the better professional boxers to ever compete in MMA. So when Diaz stood and banged with him successfully before submitting him, it meant something.

Diaz defeats Kurt Pellegrino by triangle choke at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon: Okay, the Diaz's are known for their toughness, submission skills, brashness, and cardio. Diaz got beat up in round one but survived. Then he sunk in a guillotine on Pellegrino in round two and flipped everyone off just before his opponent tapped. What embodies him more than this win?

Diaz defeats Manvel Gamburyan by submission (injury) at the TUF 5 Finale: Did Diaz do anything impressive during this fight? Nope. But with the unfortunate injury and win, he was named TUF 5 champion. So given that this was the most important MMA fight of his career, it belongs on this list.