Nick Diaz

Diaz grew up in Stockton, California, with Mexican and Anglo heritage. His mother Melissa raised Nick, his younger brother Nate, and his sister Nina. Diaz started karate and aikido as a boy and competed in wrestling tournaments through his teens. He attended Tokay High School for a year and swam on the freshman team before leaving school. At 16, he began sambo training under Bulgarian national sambo champion Valeri Ignatov. He soon transitioned into mixed martial arts at Steve Heath's Animal House gym.

Cesar Gracie brought Diaz onto his fight team, awarding him a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt on May 8, 2007. Diaz also trained in boxing under Richard Perez and former world champion Luisito Espinosa. Personal grief shaped his early career. Before his professional debut, his girlfriend Stephanie died by suicide. Diaz ran to her grave every day, promising to become the fighter she believed he could be.

Before entering sanctioned competition, Diaz participated in bare-knuckle bouts. He made his official professional debut in August 2001, submitting Mike Wick with a triangle choke just after turning 18. In his second professional fight, he defeated Chris Lytle to win the IFC United States Welterweight Championship. Diaz claimed the inaugural WEC Welterweight Championship in March 2003 by submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura.

His performances earned him an invitation to the UFC. Diaz debuted at UFC 44 with an armbar submission victory over Jeremy Jackson. At UFC 47 in April 2004, he faced Robbie Lawler. Lawler entered as the heavy favorite. Diaz pressed forward, taunted Lawler, and landed a right hook that scored a knockout victory early in the second round.

Tough decisions followed against Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Sean Sherk. His rivalry with Riggs turned explosive. After exchanging words at the weigh-ins, the two fought inside the Octagon and then brawled again at a local hospital during post-fight medical checks. Diaz rebounded with stoppage victories over Drew Fickett, Koji Oishi, Josh Neer, and Gleison Tibau before leaving the promotion in late 2006.

In February 2007, Diaz traveled to Las Vegas for PRIDE 33 to face lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title match. Diaz absorbed early damage before taking over with his boxing and locking in a gogoplata submission in the second round. It was only the second successful gogoplata in PRIDE history. The victory was later overturned to a no contest after the Nevada State Athletic Commission detected marijuana metabolites in Diaz's drug test, resulting in a six-month suspension.

Diaz signed with EliteXC later that year and met K. J. Noons for the vacant lightweight title in November 2007. A cut on Diaz's forehead caused a doctor stoppage loss in the opening round. Diaz subsequently underwent surgery to file down the bone above his eyebrows to reduce the risk of future facial cuts.

The feud with Noons reignited in June 2008 at EliteXC: Return of the King after Diaz defeated Muhsin Corbbrey. When Noons stepped into the cage to discuss a rematch, Diaz challenged him over the microphone with the phrase "don't be scared homie." A scuffle broke out between their corners, requiring security to separate both camps.

Diaz signed with Strikeforce and stopped former champion Frank Shamrock with second-round body punches in April 2009. He followed that performance by submitting Scott Smith with a rear-naked choke. In January 2010, Diaz fought Marius Zaromskis for the inaugural Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Diaz absorbed heavy strikes, rallied with volume combinations, and dropped Zaromskis with an uppercut in the first round to claim the belt.

Diaz defended the title three consecutive times. He defeated Noons by unanimous decision in their October 2010 rematch, submitted Evangelista Santos with an armbar, and knocked out Paul Daley in the first round in April 2011. Diaz became the first fighter to defend a Strikeforce welterweight belt three times before vacating the title to sign with the UFC.

Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 137 in October 2011, defeating former two-division champion B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in a fight that earned Fight of the Night honors. He met Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight championship at UFC 143 in February 2012, losing a close unanimous decision. A positive test for marijuana metabolites led to a one-year suspension by the Nevada commission.

In March 2013, Diaz challenged Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed UFC welterweight title at UFC 158 in Montreal, losing by unanimous decision. He moved to middleweight to face Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in January 2015. Silva originally won a unanimous decision, but the bout was changed to a no contest after Silva tested positive for banned substances and Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites.

The athletic commission initially issued Diaz a five-year suspension, which was reduced to 18 months following a legal settlement. Diaz returned to action at UFC 266 in September 2021 for a rematch against Robbie Lawler, suffering a third-round TKO loss.