Nate Diaz

Diaz has one daughter, Nikayla, who was born in June 2018. He has primarily followed a vegan diet since the age of 18, although he has said that he occasionally eats fish.

His older brother, Nick Diaz, is also a professional mixed martial artist. Nate began training in martial arts with Nick at the age of 11, and the brothers later became associated with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Stockton.

Before joining the UFC, Diaz competed in World Extreme Cagefighting, Strikeforce, and Pancrase. He challenged Hermes França for the WEC Lightweight Championship in 2006 and lost by second-round submission.

Diaz competed on Jens Pulver's team during the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated Rob Emerson, Corey Hill, Gray Maynard, and Manvel Gamburyan during the tournament, winning the lightweight competition in the finale. The victory established him as a UFC fighter and earned him a Knockout of the Night award.

Diaz developed a reputation as a submission specialist during his UFC career. He defeated Alvin Robinson, Kurt Pellegrino, Melvin Guillard, Takanori Gomi, and Jim Miller by submission, and he stopped Jim Miller with a rolling guillotine choke in 2012. He also defeated Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision at UFC 141, landing 82 percent of his strikes according to CompuStrike.

In December 2012, Diaz challenged Benson Henderson for the UFC Lightweight Championship and lost by unanimous decision. He later defeated Gray Maynard by first-round TKO in their third meeting at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.

Diaz's most prominent UFC rivalry was with Conor McGregor. After being called in as a replacement with eleven days' notice at UFC 196, Diaz submitted McGregor with a rear-naked choke in the second round. McGregor won their rematch at UFC 202 by majority decision, and both fights received Fight of the Night honors.

Diaz returned to defeat Anthony Pettis in 2019, then fought Jorge Masvidal for the symbolic BMF title at UFC 244. The bout ended when a doctor stopped the fight because of a cut over Diaz's eye. In his final UFC bout, Diaz submitted Tony Ferguson by guillotine choke at UFC 279 and became a free agent after the fight.

After leaving the UFC, Diaz entered professional boxing. He made his debut against Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas in August 2023, losing by unanimous decision.

Diaz then faced Jorge Masvidal in a 10-round light-heavyweight boxing bout at the Honda Center in Anaheim in July 2024. He won the fight by majority decision. His listed professional boxing record is one win and one loss.

Diaz announced the launch of his combat-sports promotion company, Real Fight Inc, in 2022. He and Nick Diaz have also been associated with Game Up Nutrition and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Stockton.

Diaz has remained closely connected to Stockton and has supported young fighters in the community. The city presented him with a key during a Stockton Kings basketball game in December 2022.