Nate Diaz: the Ultimate Fighter winner who submitted Conor McGregor | Ultimate Fighter Reunion

Why fans still care

NATE DIAZ fights on his own terms. He wins with volume, cardio and jiu-jitsu, and he keeps walking forward when he’s hurt. In 2016 he fought Conor McGregor twice, a submission win and then a five-round decision loss.

Early life

He was born on 16 April 1985 in Stockton, California, and grew up in Lodi, just north of it. When he was about 13 his older brother Nick started training to fight at a local gym. Nate was working next door and joined in. He trained under Cesar Gracie, and he has said finding jiu-jitsu made him believe “a blue belt could take out anybody in the world”.

Getting started

His professional debut came on 21 October 2004 at WEC 12, a third-round triangle choke of Alejandro Garcia. In 2007 he won The Ultimate Fighter 5, beating Manny Gamburyan in the final when a shoulder injury ended the fight in the second round.

Career chapters

1. 2004Professional debut at WEC 12
2. 2007Wins The Ultimate Fighter 5
3. 2011Beats Donald Cerrone at UFC 141
4. 2012Fights Benson Henderson for the UFC lightweight title
5. 2016Submits Conor McGregor at UFC 196, then loses the rematch
6. 2022Submits Tony Ferguson at UFC 279
7. 2023Turns to boxing
8. 2024Beats Jorge Masvidal in a boxing rematch

Lightweight and welterweight 2007 to 2015

After TUF he beat Junior Assunção, Kurt Pellegrino, Josh Neer and Melvin Guillard, then spent time at welterweight. Back at lightweight he armbarred Takanori Gomi and beat Donald Cerrone on a unanimous decision at UFC 141, which Sherdog called his most dominant Octagon performance. He then choked out Jim Miller and earned a title shot. On 8 December 2012 he lost a decision to champion Benson Henderson, his only UFC title fight.

McGregor 2016

On 5 March 2016 at UFC 196 he stepped in to fight Conor McGregor on 11 days’ notice, after Rafael dos Anjos withdrew with a broken foot. The fight was at 170 lb. McGregor cut him in the first round, but in the second a straight left stunned McGregor, and Diaz finished him with a rear-naked choke. The rematch at UFC 202 that August went five rounds. McGregor knocked him down three times in the first two rounds, and Diaz took over late as McGregor tired. McGregor won a majority decision. “I thought I won that fight,” Diaz said.

Later UFC years 2019 to 2022

He beat Anthony Pettis in 2019. That November at Madison Square Garden he fought Jorge Masvidal, Who’s Who number 22 in a bout billed for the “BMF” belt, and the ringside doctor stopped it after the third round because of a cut above his right eye. He lost to Leon Edwards in 2021. In his last fight on his UFC contract, at UFC 279 in September 2022, he submitted Tony Ferguson with a guillotine in the fourth round.

Boxing and beyond 2023 to 2026

In August 2023 in Dallas he boxed Jake Paul over ten rounds and lost a unanimous decision. In July 2024 at the Honda Center in Anaheim he boxed Jorge Masvidal, Who’s Who number 22 again and won a majority decision in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,040. In May 2026 he returned to MMA at MVP MMA 1 in Inglewood and lost to Mike Perry when the fight was stopped after the second round.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fights

He fights southpaw, with high volume and very good cardio. Sherdog’s Film Room singled out his one-two down the middle, often throwing the left straight while his jab is still in the opponent’s face. It also named his open-handed counter hook, the “Stockton slap”, which he landed on McGregor in their first fight. On the ground he is a serious submission threat, and the guillotine is his favourite. He has won with it against Assunção, Guillard, Marcus Davis, Miller and Ferguson, and he has triangle choke wins as well.

Teams and gyms

He came up with the Cesar Gracie Fight Team, training alongside his brother Nick. He holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie.

Stories people still tell

1. Eleven days.

   He took the McGregor fight at UFC 196 with less than two weeks’ notice, moved up to 170 lb and won.

2. The Stockton slap.

   His open-handed counter became a name of its own.

3. A boxing rematch.

   He lost to Jorge Masvidal, Who’s Who number 22 in the cage in 2019 and beat him in a boxing ring in 2024.

Legacy

He won The Ultimate Fighter and fought for a UFC title once. He never held a UFC belt, yet he fought McGregor twice in the cage and Masvidal in the cage and the ring. Twelve of his 21 wins came by submission.