Nate Diaz is a force to be reckoned with in the UFC. Diaz has become one of the most recognizable fighters in the sport. With such an impressive career to date, it's hard to pinpoint his top fights, but we think we've narrowed it down to five matches that stand out.
Nate Diaz's submission victory over Kurt Pellegrino was an early sign that Diaz was a UFC star in the making. Pellegrino had an impressive fighting resume coming into this fight, a black belt in jiu-jitsu black belt and a refined wrestling technique. With just a diverse style, it would ultimately be Pellegrino's reliance on his wrestling abilities that would give Diaz the opportunity to turn the tables.
When Kurt Pellegrino went to slam Diaz to the mat, Diaz was able to land in a way that positioned him perfectly to counter the move and lock his legs around Pellegrino's neck. Pellegrino had no choice but to submit. It wasn't only the submission that was notable about this match as Diaz showed his trademark brashness by giving Pellegrino the double middle finger before he had a chance to tap out.
In one of his biggest fight to date at the time, Nate Diaz stepped into the octagon with David Cerrone at UFC 141. There was plenty of bad blood leading up to this match as Diaz antagonized Cerrone outside of the octagon, even going so far as to knock his hat off and provoke an altercation at a press conference. That antagonism fueled both fighters once fight day arrived.
Diaz and Cerrone slugged it out in a brutal match that went the distance. In the end, Diaz's dirty-boxing style won out over Cerrone as the judges unanimously awarded Nate Diaz the win.
Jim Miller was running on a streak of 24 consecutive fights without being stopped and was a huge favorite coming into UFC on Fox 3, but Nate Diaz wasn't even phased by Miller's impressive run.
Diaz came out firing, landing a huge left early in the bout to set the tone for the rest of the fight. In the end, Diaz was able to lock Miller in a guillotine chokehold forcing him to submit. While not one of the most recognized fights of Diaz's career, it makes our top five as one of the biggest early messages he sent to the UFC that he was a legit superstar in the making.
At the TUF 18 finale, both Nate Diaz and Grey Maynard were looking to rebound after tough losses, and both fighters were a loss away from falling out of contention for the lightweight title.
The stats of this match tell the story of Nate Diaz's domination. Diaz landed over 60 strikes to Maynard's 12, and the fight was ended by KO after a punishing two minutes and 38 seconds of Diaz taking the fight to Grey Maynard without giving any opening for Maynard to gain any momentum whatsoever.
Nate Diaz versus Conor McGregor at UFC 196 isn't just one of the greatest matches of Nate Diaz's career, it may just make the list of greatest matches in UFC history. Conor McGregor was preparing to take a shot at then UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos, but due to injury RDA was forced to withdraw. UFC had to scramble to find another fighter to face McGregor. Nate Diaz stepped up to the challenge, and the rest is history.
Diaz's stamina and resilience were on full display as he absorbed punishment from McGregor without backing down. As the fight wore on, Diaz was able to take Conor McGregor to the mat and pound away. In the end, Diaz was forced McGregor to submit to a rear-naked chokehold and seal what is possibly the greatest victory of his career.
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