Diaz first made waves in the Octagon in 2007, competing on the UFC’s renowned series, The ultimate fighter, participating in season five. During which Diaz defeated Rob Emerson by submission, Corey Hill by triangle choke submission, Gray Maynard by submission as well, before entering the final against Manny Gamburyan. Nate reigned supreme again after another submission from his opponent in the second round. His outstanding performances were enough to promote the American MMA fighter to the UFC, where he would continue to make a name for himself in the following years.
Commander UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev
In 2007, Diaz had his first official UFC walkout, heading to the famed Octagon for UFC Fight Night 11 (UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian), where he fought on his first main card in a fight. lightweight against Júnior Assunção. And in true Diaz style, he won in the first round by submission. The win marked the start of a winning streak over the years, winning over Robinson, Pellegrino and Neer by twice submission and split decision, respectively.
Over the years, Diaz has participated in various other fights, PPV events and Fight Nights. In 2015, Diaz called out Irish MMA star Conor McGregor in an infamous post-fight interview. Following this, a fight was scheduled for 2016 where Diaz replaced another fighter to face McGregor in one of the most anticipated and talked about fights of recent years. Diaz picked up the win over McGregor via submission in the second round, earning the “Performance of the Night” bonus and both fighters also received the “Fight of the Night” bonus. After which Diaz was quoted saying “I’m not surprised MotherF***ers!”.