Nick Diaz

Overview

Seven UFC wins, seven UFC losses, and six of the seven losses went the distance. Nick Diaz's record looks like a coin flip, but the way he got there isn't.

Diaz is a Stockton, California southpaw out of Cesar Gracie Fight Team who fights at middleweight. His UFC record is 7-7 with one no contest, and his 26-10-0 professional record covers all promotions. Six of his seven UFC wins ended before the final bell: four by KO/TKO and two by submission. His UFC losses tell the opposite story, with six decisions and one stoppage. He enters his next fight on a three-fight losing streak.

UFC Career

Diaz debuted at UFC 44 in September 2003 with a third-round submission of Jeremy Jackson, then stopped Robbie Lawler in the second round at UFC 47. He followed with a split decision loss to Karo Parisyan.

The first-round finishes of Drew Fickett (4:40) and Koji Oishi (1:24) in 2005 started a three-fight win streak. Then came three straight unanimous decision losses to Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs and Sean Sherk. He closed that first run with a third-round submission of Josh Neer and a second-round stoppage of Gleison Tibau in 2006.

The next UFC fight didn't come until October 2011, headlining UFC 137 against BJ Penn, one of the elite opponents of his career. Diaz won a unanimous decision, his only decision win in the UFC.

What followed were three consecutive main events:

• A five-round unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143.
• A five-round unanimous decision loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158.
• A five-round fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 183 that went into the books as a no contest after being overturned.

Diaz then stayed away until September 2021, when he rematched Lawler and lost by TKO in the third round, 0:44 in.

Three five-round main events, and none of them a win.

Fighting Style

Nick Diaz is a busy striker who is hard to hit. He throws and lands at a high rate, and he avoids strikes better than most. The strikes he absorbs and his accuracy sit about where the UFC average does, so his edge comes from volume rather than precision.

He also hunts submissions far more often than most fighters, and two of his UFC wins ended that way. He rarely shoots for takedowns, but he is hard to take down.

Both of his submission wins came in the third round, against Jackson and Neer. Four of his seven UFC wins ended in a stoppage by strikes, two of them in round one and two in round two.

Notable Wins

• BJ Penn — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 137 (2011)
• Robbie Lawler — KO/TKO, round 2, 1:31, UFC 47 (2004)
• Gleison Tibau — KO/TKO, round 2, 2:27, UFC 65 (2006)
• Josh Neer — submission, round 3, 1:42, UFC 62 (2006)

Quick Facts

• Division: Middleweight
• UFC record: 7-7 (1 no contest)
• Professional record (all promotions): 26-10-0
• UFC debut: 2003
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 6'1" / 76"
• Team: Cesar Gracie Fight Team
• Born: Stockton, United States