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Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC Welterweight champion and a UFC title challenger. He also notably competed in PRIDE, EliteXC, DREAM, and Shooto. Nick is the older brother of former UFC fighter Nate Diaz, with the pair of brothers being one of the biggest influences in the sport of MMA.
Prior to his debut professional mixed martial arts fight, Diaz's girlfriend, Stephanie died by suicide by walking in front of traffic. After her death, Diaz would run to his girlfriend's grave every day to tell her he would become the fighter she always wanted him to be.
Diaz was then invited to participate in Ultimate Athlete's King of the Mountain, a single-night tournament that took place two months later. He won his first two fights but eventually lost in the finals to Jeremy Jackson by TKO. Diaz fought in Warriors Quest and Shooto against Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento and Kuniyoshi Hironaka respectively before defending his IFC Welterweight Championship and winning the WEC Welterweight Championship in 2003 at WEC 6, submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura lock.
Diaz returned to defend his IFC Welterweight Championship against the man who defeated him one year earlier, Jeremy Jackson at IFC Warriors Challenge 18. This bout was for Diaz's IFC United States Welterweight Championship, Jackson's IFC Americas Welterweight Championship and the vacant ISKA-MMA Americas Welterweight Championship. Diaz won the rematch via TKO in the first round. Taking notice of his success, the UFC signed Diaz over the summer and he made his debut at UFC 44, completing the trilogy against Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of a back-and-forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.
Diaz was confident coming into the bout but was unable to achieve success in the match, ultimately losing to Sanchez by unanimous decision. During the televised post-fight interview in the octagon, Diaz continued the controversy by declaring that he respected Sanchez fighting ability but did not think he deserved to be there, despite Sanchez's win. Diaz's next fight was against Joe Riggs at UFC 57. Similar to his treatment of Sanchez, Diaz made sure that he taunted his opponent plenty before their fight starting at the official press conference at the event in which Diaz confronted Riggs and the two exchanged words. They continued their conversation at the official weigh-ins in which both fighters had to be separated by UFC president Dana White and other officials present.
Riggs prevailed in a hard-fought battle, winning by unanimous decision and giving Diaz his second straight loss. After the fight, the two were taken to the hospital for observation and post-fight tests, where they had yet another scuffle. Diaz lost his third consecutive match in a unanimous decision to future UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk at UFC 59.
After Alessio pulled out, Diaz took advantage of the opportunity, submitting veteran Josh Neer in the third round. Seemingly back in the UFC, Diaz stopped Brazilian newcomer Gleison Tibau with strikes in his next fight at UFC 65. However, even after the win and the reassurance that the UFC would give him another fight, Diaz decided to sign with the Gracie Fighting Championships and leave the UFC. GFC had Diaz scheduled to fight Thomas Denny in January 2007, but due to poor ticket sales the event was ultimately scrapped.
On April 10, 2007, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz failed the drug test that was taken shortly before his win over Gomi, testing positive for marijuana Metabolites. The NSAC declared the fight a "No Contest" and suspended him for 6 months with a fine of 20% of his earnings ($3,000) won from the fight against Gomi. The Commission felt that the result of Diaz's THC test, an enormous 175, was a contributing factor in his performance during the fight. Commission Chairman Dr. Tony Alamo said that while a result of 15 is considered positive, the NSAC has a threshold of 50 for athletes. He also believes they "feel very comfortable that everyone that tests positive in Nevada is truly positive." Dr. Alamo went on to say, "Mr. Diaz was 175. This creates a unique situation. I was there at this fight and believe that you were intoxicated and... that it made you numb to the pain. Did it help you win? I think it did." Despite Diaz being surrounded by other athletes and video cameras for several hours before the fight, Alamo gave no explanation for why he believed Diaz had used marijuana in the hours preceding the event. Diaz himself dismissed the assertion that marijuana was a Performance-enhancing drug, or that he was smoking it prior to the fight.
After losing to Noons, Diaz had surgery and had the bone filed down on his eyebrows to mitigate any bad cuts in future bouts. Diaz came into his next fight at EliteXC's "Return of the KING" event in Honolulu, Hawaii against Muhsin Corbbrey 9 pounds over the weight limit. Diaz earned a tough win over Corbbrey, following the main event an altercation between Nick and his brother Nate broke out with K. J. Noons and his corner. EliteXC executives asked Diaz to come to the ring and make a statement about a possible title rematch with Noons. Noons, a native of Hawaii, asked the crowd their opinion, resulting in an echo of boos for Diaz. After Nick spoke over the microphone to Noons, saying, "don't be scared homie," Karl Noons, K. J.'s father, lunged at him prompting Nate Diaz to throw a water bottle at Karl. The Diaz brothers were quickly escorted out of the cage by a group of security staff. During interviews the next day Nick claimed Karl was intoxicated and overreacting. Meanwhile, Karl claimed his incident was prompted by the thrown bottle. Video replay of the event showed Nate throwing the bottle after Karl jumped at Nick. No one was injured as the Diaz brothers left the arena entrance "flipping the bird" to the fans and Noons's corner. Thank You. Ballhype.com; retrieved May 5, 2012.
Nick went on to face Thomas Denny. After a sluggish start to the fight, Diaz found his range and dominated Denny during the latter half of the first round. Diaz continued to keep the fight standing and maintained a high-paced tempo for the remainder of the fight, earning an impressive knockout victory over the veteran Denny 0:30 into round two. Diaz was rumoured to have a rematch against the current EliteXC Lightweight Champion K. J. Noons, airing on CBS October 4, 2008. However, Noons and his camp refused to accept the match. Mark Dion, Noon's manager was quoted as saying, "As far as Nick Diaz, he's not the No. 1 contender out there."Morgan, John. (August 21, 2008) KJ Noons' manager says Nick Diaz not top contender, scoffs at EliteXC deadline . Mmajunkie.com; retrieved May 5, 2012. Diaz was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez for the EliteXC 160 pound title on November 8, 2008 before the company ceased operations.
At Diaz met former UFC veteran Scott Smith at a Catchweight of 180 pounds. Although Smith took Diaz down once in the first round, Diaz controlled the majority of the bout with his superior boxing, utilizing his reach, stalking jabs and repeatedly punishing Smith with hooks to the body, twice dropping him in the second and third round. Upon landing the body shot that dropped Smith in the third round, Smith assumed a "turtle" position and Diaz took his back until securing a rear-naked choke to finish the bout at 1:41 of the final round.
It was announced that Diaz would be fighting Joe Riggs "Roger fights August 15". graciemag.com, June 27, 2009. at taking place on August 15, in which would have been a rematch of their first fight that took place at , in which both fighters fought in the cage and then again at the local hospital later in the evening. The Full Joe Riggs vs Nick Diaz Hospital fight story. – Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums , Sherdog.net; accessed March 5, 2015. The fight would have been for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship but, Riggs had to pull out of the bout due to an adverse reaction to a drug. Diaz was then scheduled to instead face former IFL Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron for the Welterweight Championship. This fight has since been canceled due to Diaz's failure to attain his license after not attending a pre-fight drug test. Jesse Taylor replaced Diaz and the title was no longer on the line, Hieron defeated Taylor by unanimous decision.
Diaz faced Strikeforce newcomer and then-DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Žaromskis to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion on January 30, 2010 at . Žaromskis came out aggressively and the two men exchanged on the feet until Diaz tied his opponent up in the clinch and landed numerous knees to Žaromskis' right leg. Diaz then scored a takedown and looked for a guillotine choke – quickly shrugged off by his opponent. The two men continued to exchange, with Diaz utilizing his unorthodox boxing skills, until rocked by a Žaromskis left hook and falling to his back. Žaromskis landed few effective shots while Diaz was "turtled" on the floor, allowing him to recover and stand back up. In the few remaining minutes, Diaz opened up with his boxing range, tagging Žaromskis cleanly several times with combos composed of jabs, hooks and seamless bodyshots; forcing him against the side of the cage where he landed a solid uppercut that dropped his opponent leading to the referee to stop the contest at 4:38 of the first round. Diaz was then crowned the inaugural Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.
Diaz defeated former PRIDE veteran Hayato Sakurai by armbar submission in a non-title bout at DREAM 14. Diaz defeated K. J. Noons in a rematch of their 2007 bout for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Diaz won via unanimous decision (48–47, 49–47, and 49–46). Diaz defeated Brazilian Evangelista Santos who had an 18–13 Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos profile, Sherdog.com; retrieved May 5, 2012. MMA record going into the bout on January 29, 2011 at via armbar in the second round. Diaz defeated English fighter Paul Daley at via TKO (punches) at 4:57 of round 1, and became the first Strikeforce fighter to successfully defend the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion three consecutive times.
Following his successful return, Diaz was expected to face Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 143 during Super Bowl weekend. Nick Diaz Gets The Next Shot at GSP; Carlos Condit Steps Aside. MMAWeekly.com (October 30, 2011). Retrieved on 2012-05-05. However, due to an ACL injury sustained by St-Pierre, Diaz faced Carlos Condit in the main event, with the winner being awarded an Interim UFC Welterweight Championship. Condit defeated Diaz via unanimous decision. Upset with the result of the fight, Diaz indicated that he was retiring from the sport.
After the event UFC President Dana White said that he believed Diaz would fight again. Diaz was briefly linked to a rematch with Condit, but was quickly refuted when Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites in a post-fight drug test. The Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Diaz shortly after the positive test, pending a full disciplinary hearing.
It was announced at the hearing in May 2012 that Diaz was suspended for one year, retroactive to February 4, 2012, and fined 30 percent of his fight purse earned from the Condit bout. Diaz was eligible to return to MMA competition in February 2013.
Diaz faced Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 on March 16, 2013 for the UFC Welterweight Championship. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
As of July 28, 2013, Diaz had once again retired from MMA competition, though Dana White stated in interviews that he felt that Diaz was simply on hiatus, financially sound from the GSP fight, but did expect him to return eventually.
A possible Middleweight matchup between Michael Bisping and Nick Diaz was briefly linked, but soon turned down by Diaz. At UFC on Fox 9 in Sacramento, Dana White offered Diaz a rematch with Carlos Condit; Diaz turned it down. Diaz attended UFC 170 and had told media that he would return if he could get an immediate title shot.
On July 24, 2014, it was announced that Diaz had signed a three-fight contract to return to the UFC. Diaz faced Anderson Silva on January 31, 2015 at UFC 183. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. A few days after the fight, the UFC revealed that Diaz had once again failed his post-fight drug test for marijuana metabolites, and Silva tested positive on January 9 for drostanolone, androstane, oxazepam, and temazepam in pre-fight drug screening. On August 13, after several reschedules, Silva's disciplinary hearing was held to decide on the subject. Silva's defense argued that a tainted Tadalafil was the root of the two failed tests for drostanolone and also appealed to mistakes in the NSAC testing procedures, pointing to a pair of drug tests, one on Jan 19 and one after the fight, which Silva passed. He admitted to using both temazepam and oxazepam, benzodiazepines, the night prior to the fight as therapy to control stress and help him sleep. Silva's team was unable to explain the presence of androsterone in the Jan 9 test. The commission rejected the defense and suspended him for one year retroactive to the date of the fight, as the current guidelines were not in effect at the time of the failed tests. Silva was also fined his full win bonus, as well as 30% of his show money, totaling $380,000. The result of the bout was changed to a no contest. At that point, Diaz had accumulated a UFC record of 7 wins, 6 losses and 1 no contest, with no successful challenges for a title.
On September 14, 2015 the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Diaz for 5 years and fined him $165,000 following his failed drug test of marijuana metabolites at UFC 183. Following his appeal four months later in January 2016, the suspension and fine were reduced to 18 months and $100,000. The suspension was officially lifted on August 1, 2016. Diaz had served a technical suspension due to outstanding fines with the NSAC as stipulated in his settlement claim. For this reason he was unable to corner Nate Diaz during UFC 196 and UFC 202. Diaz, according to sources, has reached an agreement with the Nevada Athletic Commission, which now frees him to participate in all combat sport-related activities in the state once again. On April 9, 2018, Diaz accepted a one-year USADA sanction for failing to report his whereabouts to USADA on three occasions from the third quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017. The sanction is retroactive to April 9, 2017, and Diaz would be eligible to compete again on April 9, 2018.
After a long hiatus since 2015, Diaz returned to rematch against Robbie Lawler on September 25, 2021 at UFC 266. The bout was contested at middleweight and was a special non-title, non-main event five round bout. After a back-and-forth fight, Diaz was knocked down with punches in round three, but was given the opportunity to return to his feet. Diaz stayed down and verbally submitted resulting in a TKO loss.
After a three-year absence, Diaz was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on August 3, 2024 at UFC on ABC 7. However, due to travel issues, the bout was postponed and was scheduled to take place on December 7, 2024 at UFC 310. In turn, Diaz withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Themba Gorimbo.
Diaz appears in the feature-length documentary Fight Life (2013), which chronicles the lives of mixed martial artists outside the cage; the film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and won the Best Documentary Award at the United Film Festival.
In 2023, Diaz starred in the film Darkness of Man with Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by James Cullen Bressack.
Following the events of the Nashville Brawl, Miller expressed an interest in fighting Nick Diaz. The 170 lb Diaz refused stating he was the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and needed to continue to fight at that weight. He requested Miller move down to 170 lb to fight him. Miller continued to attempt to set up a fight, offering 183 lb as a catchweight. Diaz counter-offered a catchweight of 181 lb. Scott Coker, CEO of Strikeforce was interested in setting up the fight, but failed to do so as Zuffa took over Strikeforce. Scott Coker Thinks Nick Diaz vs. Mayhem Miller Will Happen Within Year. MMA Fighting (June 15, 2010). Retrieved on 2016-08-21.
After UFC 158, Estima, who was a training partner for Georges St-Pierre, attempted to shake Diaz's hand immediately after the fight. Diaz did actually accept the handshake but shoved Estima away when he attempted to embrace him. According to Estima, Kron Gracie was antagonizing him along with Diaz.
Diaz is also a professional boxer and fights in the Super Middleweight weight class. He made his professional debut in April 2005 against Alfonso Rocha at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, California. boxer: Nick Diaz. Boxrec.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2012. Diaz was victorious, winning by unanimous decision after four rounds. He has not fought since. Nick and Nate Diaz were trained by former WBA and WBC World Champion Luisito Espinosa and trained with Jason "Gumby" Schrumpf. He also trains in sambo with former UFC fighter Val Ignatov.
Diaz displays an unusual boxing style for MMA, relying upon volume punching without full power and occasionally adding in hard punches. CompuStrike, which tabulates statistics from MMA fights, has shown him attempting 181 strikes in one round, making it the most total strikes thrown in any round that CompuStrike has recorded. UFC 143 Judo Chop: The Striking And Grappling Technique Of Nick Diaz . Bloody Elbow (February 2, 2012). Retrieved on 2016-08-21.
Diaz is known for talking trash to his opponents during fights, competes in triathlons for recreation Nick Diaz Is Not a World-Class Triathlete, He Is Not Even in the Same Galaxy. Bleacher Report (July 21, 2011). Retrieved on 2016-08-21. and uses his endurance to constantly put pressure on his opponent, as well as pushing the pace of the fight. Diaz has said, "Fighters are afraid of conditioning, they are afraid of getting tired, but I don’t want to have anxiety or be afraid of anything. I can go 100 percent out there and never have to worry about getting tired. Everybody says fighting is 90 percent mental, and it's true. Knowing you can go 15 minutes or 25 minutes without any problem can help you sustain that mental advantage over your opponent..." Nick Diaz: The UFC's Running Man. Huffingtonpost.com (April 2, 2012). Retrieved on 2016-08-21.
| 1. | UFC 137 | Penn vs. Diaz | October 29, 2011 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 280,000 |
| 2. | UFC 143 | Diaz vs. Condit | February 4, 2012 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 400,000 |
| 3. | UFC 158 | St-Pierre vs. Diaz | March 16, 2013 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 950,000 |
| 4. | UFC 183 | Silva vs. Diaz | January 31, 2015 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 650,000 |
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