Nick Díaz
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist
. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC
and IFC
Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat
. Diaz was promoted to black belt
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
by Cesar Gracie
on May 8, 2007. Diaz trains at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Pleasant Hill, California
. Diaz holds the distinction of having never been submitted, and has been finished by strikes only once in 34 fights. He is currently ranked the #5 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, #3 by MMAWeekly, and #5 by USA Today.
Diaz originally started training in martial arts because he was being bullied by other teenagers who were bigger than he was. He then watched the UFC for the first time and soon wanted to be able to fight in the organization. His younger brother, Nathan is also a professional MMA fighter in the welterweight division and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nick also regularly competes in triathlons as part of his training. Diaz started training in Sambo at the age of 16 under a Bulgarian World Sambo Champion. In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Diaz stated that he still trains Sambo under the same coach hence the reason his ground game is different from other MMA fighters that only train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
for the IFC United States Welterweight title in July 2002 at IFC Warriors Challenge 17.
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 (fighter)
by TKO. Diaz would fight in Warriors Quest and Shooto against Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento and Kuniyoshi Hironaka respectively before winning the WEC's Welterweight Title in 2003 at WEC 6, submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura.
Diaz returned to defend his IFC Welterweight belt against the man that defeated him one year earlier, Jeremy Jackson at IFC Warriors Challenge 18. This time around it was Diaz who was able to get the win, winning by 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 Jeremy Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of the back and forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.
. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout. In the second round, Diaz taunted Lawler, who swung wildly at and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked Lawler out cold. Diaz was then matched up with Karo Parisyan
at UFC 49, but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett
at UFC 51 and Koji Oishi
at UFC 53 before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of The Ultimate Fighter Middleweight winner Diego Sanchez
at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale.
The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.
Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him.[3] Diaz was obviously 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 ring, 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. It was there that Diaz confronted Riggs and proceeded to punch him in the face, knocking Riggs to his knees. Riggs then tackled Diaz into a wall and started to knee him when the police arrived and quickly rushed in to separate the two. Neither party, nor the police, decided to press charges. Diaz lost his third consecutive match in a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk
at UFC 59. The UFC subsequently terminated his contract and released him during the spring of 2006.
and participated in the International Cage Fighting Organization's inaugural event, defeating Ray Steinbeiss by split decision. Diaz was slated to fight in his hometown again against John Alessio
when he received an unexpected call the night before the fight from the UFC asking to fill in for an ill Thiago Alves
at UFC 62
.
After Alessio pulled out, Diaz took advantage of the opportunity, submitting Josh Neer
in the third round. Seemingly back in the UFC, Diaz stopped 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.
in a non-title fight on February 24 in Las Vegas
. Pride 33
was Diaz's first fight in the Pride organization and at the weight of 160 lb. While Gomi started the fight strong, once knocking Diaz to the ground, and twice ending up in his guard, the Californian dominated the standup battle with his unorthodox style, picking his opponent apart with quick and accurate jabs and looping punches. At the end of the first round, apparently due to poor cardio on Gomi's part, the Japanese fighter was clearly stunned, throwing much wilder punches and barely maintaining his defense. At one point though, the fight was stopped to check a cut suffered under Diaz' eye. The second stanza saw a continuation of wild punches by Gomi, then eventually taking the fight to the ground and leaving himself open to a Gogoplata
submission by Diaz and tapping at 1:46 of the round. This was the second successful Gogoplata attempt in Pride's history (the first performed by Shinya Aoki
on Joachim Hansen less than two months earlier at Pride's New Year's event).
On April 10, 2007, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz failed the drug test that was taken shortly before his win over Takanori Gomi, testing positive for marijuana. 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 145. 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.
. MMA Weekly reported that Nick Diaz signed a two year deal with EliteXC and in his next fight, fought KJ Noons
for the vacant 160 pound title. Once the fight began, the two exchanged rather evenly on the feet until Noons dropped Diaz with a well timed right counterpunch. Diaz attempted several takedowns, all of which were stuffed by Noons, on one occasion with a swift right knee which opened up a notable gash on Diaz's face, eventually resulting in a loss via doctor stoppage due to multiple cuts on his forehead. A disappointed Diaz left the arena immediately and on his way out he flipped off the doctor from the arena entrance and shoved the camera out of his face. Interestingly, he stated in pre-fight interviews that the only way he was going to lose this fight was from a cut above his eye.
After losing the Noons fight via-doc stoppage due to a cut, Diaz had surgery and had the bone filed down on his eyebrows to prevent any bad cuts in future bouts. Following a tough win over opponent Muhsin Corbbrey
at EliteXC's "Return of the KING" event in Honolulu, Hawaii, an altercation between Nick and his brother Nate broke out with KJ 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," Carl Noons, KJ's father, lunged at him prompting Nate Diaz to throw a water bottle at the elder Noons. The Diaz brothers were quickly escorted out of the cage by a group of security staff. During interviews the next day Nick claimed Carl was intoxicated and overreacting. Meanwhile Carl claimed his incident was prompted by the thrown bottle. Video replay of the event showed Nate throwing the bottle after Carl jumped at Nick. No one was injured as the Diaz brothers left the arena entrance "throwing the bird" to the fans and Noons' corner.
Nick went on to face well-traveled veteran Thomas "Wildman" Denny
at the EliteXC Event "Unfinished Business" in Nick's hometown of Stockton, California. After a sluggish start to the fight, Diaz found his range and punished 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 TKO victory over the veteran Denny 0:30 into Round Two. Diaz was rumoured to have a rematch against the current EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons, airing on CBS October 4, 2008. However, KJ Noons and his camp refused to accept the match. Mark Dion, KJ's manager was quoted as saying "As far as Nick Diaz, he's not the No. 1 contender out there.". Diaz was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez
for the EliteXC 160 pound title on November 8, 2008 before the company ceased operations.
by corner stoppage (TKO) in the first round. With Strikeforce
's acquisition of ProElite
's assets, CEO Scott Coker
had announced that Nick will face off against MMA
legend Frank Shamrock
at a catchweight of 179 lb, at their upcoming event Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
in Shamrock's hometown of San Jose
on April 11 at the HP Pavilion.
Nick was successful in the fight, defeating Shamrock via TKO, due to strikes in the second round. Throughout the fight, Diaz was dominant in all areas using effective positioning on the ground, once mounting Frank in the end of the first round and then finally finishing in the second round due to a body shot crumpling Frank to the mat and then following up with punches before referee John McCarthy called a halt to the bout. It was noted that Shamrock came into the bout with a rib injury which was sustained through training and greatly affected his abilities throughout the fight. In the interview he stated "It's hard to hate the guy, he's been doing what I've been wanting to do and saying what I've wanted to say for a long time".
At Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Diaz met 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
at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg
taking place on August 15, in which would have been a rematch of their first fight that took place at UFC 57: Couture vs Liddell 3
, in which both fighters fought in the cage and then again at the local hospital later in the evening. The fight would have been for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship but, Joe Riggs had to pull out of the bout due to an adverse reaction to a drug. Diaz was then scheduled to instead face 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 Marius Žaromskis
to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion on January 30, 2010 at Strikeforce: Miami
. 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 and continued to punish 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 Hayato Sakurai
by submission (armbar) in a non-title bout at Dream 14. Diaz defeated KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 bout for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Diaz won via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-47, 49-46). Diaz defeated Evangelista Santos
who had an 18-13 MMA record going into the bout on January 29, 2011 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
via armbar in the second round. Diaz defeated Paul Daley
at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
via TKO (punches) at 4:57 of round 1, and became the first Strikeforce fighter to successfully defend the welterweight belt 3 times in a row.
victory over Dan Henderson
, Jason Miller got access into the cage during the post-fight interviews and asked Shields, "Where's my rematch, buddy?". Both Gilbert Melendez
and Jake Shields
pushed Miller away, which was followed by Diaz throwing the punch to start the brawl. Diaz, his brother Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez
would then attack Miller while Miller was being restrained to the canvas. The fight was then broken up by referees, members of Dan Henderson
's corner and security. Miller, Diaz and four others were given three-month suspensions and fines of $5,000-$7,500.
Jason Miller has gone on record that he wants to fight Nick Diaz at 183 pounds, two pounds under his usual fighting weight of 185 and 13 pounds above Diaz's normal fighting weight of 170. Scott Coker
recently revealed that negotiations between the two fighters stalled when a 181 lb catchweight was offered by Diaz, and Miller refused. Diaz was willing to fight Miller provided that he would get his pay doubled.
was a possible consideration. Diaz and St.Pierre were rumored to be the next coaches for TUF 14 (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show, but the show debuted on September 21, 2011, with Michael Bisping
and Jason Miller as coaches. UFC president Dana White confirmed via Twitter that Diaz would face GSP at UFC 137
at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 29, 2011. Nick Diaz vacated his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship title prior to his bout with Georges St-Pierre Dana White made the decision to take Nick Diaz out of the fight and replace him with Carlos Condit
, due to Diaz missing multiple flights for a press event to support the fight. It was announced that Diaz would fight B.J. Penn in the main event at his original fight card, UFC 137
. Diaz won via unanimous decision. Diaz called out Georges St. Pierre in the post-fight interview, who was scheduled to fight Carlos Condit at the same event but had been forced out of the bout with a knee injury. Diaz will now face Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 143
.
black belt under Cesar Gracie
whom he has been training with since he was a teenager. He is accomplished in both gi
and no-gi jiu-jitsu. Some of the major titles he has won include the US Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005. He also owns a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Patino
in competition via kneebar. He is known for having a modified BJJ style that suits his MMA career very well. Diaz lists his favorite submission as the kimura. He is widely known for his impressive closed guard which he frequently uses in his fights. Diaz currently teaches jiu-jitsu at his and brother Nathan's school in Lodi, CA.
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
. Diaz was victorious, winning by unanimous decision after four rounds. He has not fought since. To add to Nick and his brother Nathan's striking skills, they are now being trained by former WBA and WBC World Champion, Luisito Espinosa
and training with the highly skilled Jason "Gumby" Robison. Nick has also recently been training with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward
.
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 26-7 (1)
| B.J. Penn
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 137
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 25–7 (1)
| Paul Daley
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:57
| San Diego, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 24–7 (1)
| Evangelista Santos
| Submission (armbar)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:50
| San Jose, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 23–7 (1)
| KJ Noons
| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| San Jose, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 22–7 (1)
| Hayato Sakurai
| Submission (armbar)
| Dream 14
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:54
| Saitama, Saitama
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 21–7 (1)
| Marius Žaromskis
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Miami
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:38
| Sunrise, Florida
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 20–7 (1)
| Scott Smith
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:41
| St. Louis, Missouri
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 19–7 (1)
| Frank Shamrock
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:57
| San Jose, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 18–7 (1)
| Thomas Denny
| TKO (punches)
| EliteXC: Unfinished Business
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:30
| Stockton, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 17–7 (1)
| Muhsin Corbbrey
| TKO (punches)
| EliteXC: Return of the King
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:59
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 16–7 (1)
| Katsuya Inoue
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| Dream 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 6:45
| Saitama, Saitama
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 15–7 (1)
| KJ Noons
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| EliteXC: Renegade
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Corpus Christi, Texas
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 15–6 (1)
| Mike Aina
| Decision (split)
| EliteXC: Uprising
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
|
|-
| NC
| style="text-align:center;"| 14–6 (1)
| Takanori Gomi
| No Decision (overturned by NSAC)
| Pride 33
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:46
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 14–6
| Gleison Tibau
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 65
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:27
| Sacramento, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 13–6
| Josh Neer
| Submission (kimura)
| UFC 62
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:42
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 12–6
| Ray Steinbeiss
| Decision (unanimous)
| ICFO 1: Stockton
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Stockton, California
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–6
| Sean Sherk
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 59
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Anaheim, California
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–5
| Joe Riggs
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 57
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–4
| Diego Sanchez
| Decision (unanimous)
| The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–3
| Koji Oishi
| KO (punches)
| UFC 53
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:24
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 10–3
| Drew Fickett
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 51
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:40
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 9–3
| Karo Parisyan
| Decision (split)
| UFC 49
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 9–2
| Robbie Lawler
| KO (punches)
| UFC 47
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:31
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 8–2
| Jeremy Jackson
| Submission (armbar)
| UFC 44
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:04
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 7–2
| Jeremy Jackson
| TKO (punches)
| IFC WC 18: Big Valley Brawl
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:33
| Lakeport, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 6–2
| Joe Hurley
| Submission (kimura)
| WEC 6
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:55
| Lemoore, California
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 5–2
| Kuniyoshi Hironaka
| Decision (split)
| Shooto: Year End Show 2002
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Chiba, Chiba
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 5–1
| Harris Sarmiento
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| Warriors Quest 8: Young Guns
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:47
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 4–1
| Jeremy Jackson
| TKO (punches)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:49
| Auberry, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 4–0
| Adam Lynn
| Submission (armbar)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:51
| Auberry, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 3–0
| Blaine Tyler
| TKO (punches)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:01
| Auberry, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 2–0
| Chris Lytle
| Decision (unanimous)
| IFC Warriors Challenge 17
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Porterville, California
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 1–0
| Mike Wick
| Submission (triangle choke)
| IFC Warriors Challenge 15
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:43
| Oroville, California
, United States
|
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
and IFC
International Fighting Championships
International Fighting Championships is an American mixed martial arts organization. Founded in 1996, the IFC was the vision of longtime martial artist and kickboxing promoter, Howard Petschler. Howard recognized that MMA would finally solve a lot of the problemsassociated with martial arts as a...
Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat
Elite Xtreme Combat
Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on December 14, 2006. It was headquartered in Los Angeles, California.The...
. Diaz was promoted to black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
by Cesar Gracie
Cesar Gracie
Cesar Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who trains a number of top fighters in Pleasant Hill, California. Gracie is a member of the Gracie family, the son of Sonja Gracie-Gronning and not to be confused with his cousin also named Cesar Gracie who is the son of Reylson Gracie.- Biography...
on May 8, 2007. Diaz trains at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Pleasant Hill, California
Pleasant Hill, California
Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 33,152 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1961...
. Diaz holds the distinction of having never been submitted, and has been finished by strikes only once in 34 fights. He is currently ranked the #5 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, #3 by MMAWeekly, and #5 by USA Today.
Biography
Diaz was born in Stockton, California. He is the older brother of UFC fighter Nate Diaz. He went to Tokay High School in Lodi for one year before dropping out. While a freshman, he was a member of the swimming team. Diaz has stated in the past that he is thankful his mother got him into swimming classes because swimming is one of the main reasons why his cardio is so impressive during his fights. Diaz has also said on multiple occasions that he had a hard childhood and grew up without his biological father.Diaz originally started training in martial arts because he was being bullied by other teenagers who were bigger than he was. He then watched the UFC for the first time and soon wanted to be able to fight in the organization. His younger brother, Nathan is also a professional MMA fighter in the welterweight division and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nick also regularly competes in triathlons as part of his training. Diaz started training in Sambo at the age of 16 under a Bulgarian World Sambo Champion. In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Diaz stated that he still trains Sambo under the same coach hence the reason his ground game is different from other MMA fighters that only train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Mixed martial arts career
After years of practicing various combats sports and martial arts, Diaz became a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2001 just after his 18th birthday and won his first fight, submitting Mike Wick with a triangle choke at IFC Warriors Challenge 15. Diaz would become a champion in just his second professional fight, defeating Chris LytleChris Lytle
Chris Scott Lytle is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer and a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle was prominently featured as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In Chris's MMA and boxing career he was never knocked out or submitted, though he did...
for the IFC United States Welterweight title in July 2002 at IFC Warriors Challenge 17.
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 (fighter)
Jeremy Jackson (fighter)
Jeremy Rea Jackson is an American mixed martial artist from California.-Career:Jackson's first professional MMA fight was on September 9, 2001 against Jake Shields in the Gladiator Challenge 6: Caged Beasts...
by TKO. Diaz would fight in Warriors Quest and Shooto against Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento and Kuniyoshi Hironaka respectively before winning the WEC's Welterweight Title in 2003 at WEC 6, submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura.
Diaz returned to defend his IFC Welterweight belt against the man that defeated him one year earlier, Jeremy Jackson at IFC Warriors Challenge 18. This time around it was Diaz who was able to get the win, winning by 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 Jeremy Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of the back and forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.
Rise
Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 47, set to take on highly-touted Welterweight Robbie LawlerRobbie Lawler
Robert Glen "Robbie" Lawler is an American mixed martial artist Lawler was the EliteXC middleweight champion before EliteXC filed for bankruptcy. Lawler has recently signed with Strikeforce. He is a member of Team Hughes fighting out of H.I.T...
. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout. In the second round, Diaz taunted Lawler, who swung wildly at and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked Lawler out cold. Diaz was then matched up with Karo Parisyan
Karo Parisyan
Karapet Parisyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.- Early life:...
at UFC 49, but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett
Drew Fickett
Drew Fickett is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He holds notable victories over Josh Koscheck, Dennis Hallman, Kenny Florian, Kurt Pellegrino, Josh Neer, Matt Veach, and Dennis Bermudez....
at UFC 51 and Koji Oishi
Koji Oishi
Koji Oishi is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division. His won his fight at Pancrase - Passion Tour 3 against Isao Kobayashi on April 4, 2010...
at UFC 53 before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of The Ultimate Fighter Middleweight winner Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale.
The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.
Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him.[3] Diaz was obviously 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 ring, 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
Joe Riggs
Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...
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. It was there that Diaz confronted Riggs and proceeded to punch him in the face, knocking Riggs to his knees. Riggs then tackled Diaz into a wall and started to knee him when the police arrived and quickly rushed in to separate the two. Neither party, nor the police, decided to press charges. Diaz lost his third consecutive match in a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...
at UFC 59. The UFC subsequently terminated his contract and released him during the spring of 2006.
Return to UFC
Diaz returned to his hometown of StocktonStockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
and participated in the International Cage Fighting Organization's inaugural event, defeating Ray Steinbeiss by split decision. Diaz was slated to fight in his hometown again against John Alessio
John Alessio
John Paul Alessio is a Canadian mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Welterweight. Alessio has fought for many of the major MMA promotions, including WEC, UFC, PRIDE, KOTC, MFC and DREAM.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:...
when he received an unexpected call the night before the fight from the UFC asking to fill in for an ill Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves d'Araujo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He started training in Muay Thai when he was 15 and mixed martial arts at 17. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been described as a "Muay Thai wrecking machine". As of July 2011, He is currently ranked the #10 welterweight...
at UFC 62
UFC 62
UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 26, 2006. The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada.The main event was a Light...
.
After Alessio pulled out, Diaz took advantage of the opportunity, submitting Josh Neer
Josh Neer
Joshua Martin Neer is an American mixed martial artist from Des Moines, Iowa who is currently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championships. He trains at The LifeLine Youth Foundation and The Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. Neer is formerly an MFS Elite fighter...
in the third round. Seemingly back in the UFC, Diaz stopped newcomer Gleison Tibau
Gleison Tibau
Janigleison Herculano Alves, better known as Gleison Tibau is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is one of the largest lightweights in MMA, weighing up to 183 pounds by the time he enters the cage.-Mixed martial arts:He was brought up...
with strikes in his next fight at UFC 65
UFC 65
UFC 65: Bad Intentions was a mixed martial arts competition held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 18, 2006 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California – the UFC’s first show at this venue.-Background:...
. 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
Thomas Denny (fighter)
Thomas Denny is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division, and is the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion....
in January 2007, but due to poor ticket sales the event was ultimately scrapped.
Pride FC
Diaz was signed to a two-fight deal with Pride Fighting Championships with the first scheduled to be against current Lightweight champion Takanori GomiTakanori Gomi
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...
in a non-title fight on February 24 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Pride 33
PRIDE 33
Pride 33: The Second Coming was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on February 24, 2007 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
was Diaz's first fight in the Pride organization and at the weight of 160 lb. While Gomi started the fight strong, once knocking Diaz to the ground, and twice ending up in his guard, the Californian dominated the standup battle with his unorthodox style, picking his opponent apart with quick and accurate jabs and looping punches. At the end of the first round, apparently due to poor cardio on Gomi's part, the Japanese fighter was clearly stunned, throwing much wilder punches and barely maintaining his defense. At one point though, the fight was stopped to check a cut suffered under Diaz' eye. The second stanza saw a continuation of wild punches by Gomi, then eventually taking the fight to the ground and leaving himself open to a Gogoplata
Gogoplata
A gogoplata is a type of chokehold also called Kagato-Jime in Judo, that is used in grappling and was popularised by practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.-Execution:...
submission by Diaz and tapping at 1:46 of the round. This was the second successful Gogoplata attempt in Pride's history (the first performed by Shinya Aoki
Shinya Aoki
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police trainee who is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Aoki holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt in judo. He is one of the most prominent...
on Joachim Hansen less than two months earlier at Pride's New Year's event).
On April 10, 2007, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz failed the drug test that was taken shortly before his win over Takanori Gomi, testing positive for marijuana. 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
Tetrahydrocannabinol
Tetrahydrocannabinol , also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol , Δ1-THC , or dronabinol, is the main chemical psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. It was first isolated in 1964. In pure form, it is a glassy solid when cold, and becomes viscous and sticky if warmed...
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
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
is truly positive."
Dr. Alamo went on to say, "Mr. Diaz was 145. 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
Performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances in the sports in which they engage.- Types of performance-enhancing drugs :...
, or that he was smoking it prior to the fight.
EliteXC
Diaz made his debut for EliteXC in Hawaii on September 15, 2007 on Showtime. He won a hard fought split decision over his opponent Mike AinaMike Aina
Mike Aina is an American mixed martial artist currently training at BJ Penn's MMA in Hilo, Hawaii. Aina's most memorable bout was against former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz at EliteXC: Uprising, which he lost by a controversial Split Decision even after Aina knocked Diaz down with...
. MMA Weekly reported that Nick Diaz signed a two year deal with EliteXC and in his next fight, fought KJ Noons
Karl James Noons
Karl James "K.J." Noons is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and kickboxer who currently competes in the Strikeforce lightweight division and was also the first as well as last EliteXC Lightweight Champion. He Holds Notable Victories over Yves Edwards, Jorge Gurgel, Conor Heun, and Nick Diaz...
for the vacant 160 pound title. Once the fight began, the two exchanged rather evenly on the feet until Noons dropped Diaz with a well timed right counterpunch. Diaz attempted several takedowns, all of which were stuffed by Noons, on one occasion with a swift right knee which opened up a notable gash on Diaz's face, eventually resulting in a loss via doctor stoppage due to multiple cuts on his forehead. A disappointed Diaz left the arena immediately and on his way out he flipped off the doctor from the arena entrance and shoved the camera out of his face. Interestingly, he stated in pre-fight interviews that the only way he was going to lose this fight was from a cut above his eye.
After losing the Noons fight via-doc stoppage due to a cut, Diaz had surgery and had the bone filed down on his eyebrows to prevent any bad cuts in future bouts. Following a tough win over opponent Muhsin Corbbrey
Muhsin Corbbrey
Muhsin Corbbrey is an American mixed martial artist and former professional boxer. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin, a black dan in Judo, and is a Shidokan World Champion. He competes in the Lightweight division...
at EliteXC's "Return of the KING" event in Honolulu, Hawaii, an altercation between Nick and his brother Nate broke out with KJ Noons
Karl James Noons
Karl James "K.J." Noons is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and kickboxer who currently competes in the Strikeforce lightweight division and was also the first as well as last EliteXC Lightweight Champion. He Holds Notable Victories over Yves Edwards, Jorge Gurgel, Conor Heun, and Nick Diaz...
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," Carl Noons, KJ's father, lunged at him prompting Nate Diaz to throw a water bottle at the elder Noons. The Diaz brothers were quickly escorted out of the cage by a group of security staff. During interviews the next day Nick claimed Carl was intoxicated and overreacting. Meanwhile Carl claimed his incident was prompted by the thrown bottle. Video replay of the event showed Nate throwing the bottle after Carl jumped at Nick. No one was injured as the Diaz brothers left the arena entrance "throwing the bird" to the fans and Noons' corner.
Nick went on to face well-traveled veteran Thomas "Wildman" Denny
Thomas Denny (fighter)
Thomas Denny is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division, and is the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion....
at the EliteXC Event "Unfinished Business" in Nick's hometown of Stockton, California. After a sluggish start to the fight, Diaz found his range and punished 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 TKO victory over the veteran Denny 0:30 into Round Two. Diaz was rumoured to have a rematch against the current EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons, airing on CBS October 4, 2008. However, KJ Noons and his camp refused to accept the match. Mark Dion, KJ's manager was quoted as saying "As far as Nick Diaz, he's not the No. 1 contender out there.". Diaz was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez is an American mixed martial artist, and former Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion. Alvarez also competes for the Japanese DREAM promotion, and fought once for ProElite's EliteXC promotion...
for the EliteXC 160 pound title on November 8, 2008 before the company ceased operations.
Strikeforce and Dream
Diaz was victorious in Dream 3, defeating Katsuya InoueKatsuya Inoue
, is a Japanese mixed martil artist. He is the former 2-time interim Welterweight King of Pancrase . He has competed in the Pancrase organization since 2004 with a 8-1-1 record. He was awarded the interim Pancrase title with a TKO victory in the finals of the Pancrase - 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament...
by corner stoppage (TKO) in the first round. With Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
's acquisition of ProElite
ProElite
ProElite, Inc. is an American entertainment and media company involved in the promotion of mixed martial arts .-First incarnation:Founded in 2006 in partnership with Showtime Networks Inc...
's assets, CEO Scott Coker
Scott Coker
Scott Coker is the founder and CEO of Strikeforce, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.Scott Coker is an Ernie Reyes protege and full-contact fight promoter covering Kickboxing, K-1, and MMA...
had announced that Nick will face off against MMA
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
legend Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
at a catchweight of 179 lb, at their upcoming event Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on April 11, 2009 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It was the first event promoted by Strikeforce after their acquisition of assets from the defunct EliteXC promotion through its parent company ProElite. It...
in Shamrock's hometown of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
on April 11 at the HP Pavilion.
Nick was successful in the fight, defeating Shamrock via TKO, due to strikes in the second round. Throughout the fight, Diaz was dominant in all areas using effective positioning on the ground, once mounting Frank in the end of the first round and then finally finishing in the second round due to a body shot crumpling Frank to the mat and then following up with punches before referee John McCarthy called a halt to the bout. It was noted that Shamrock came into the bout with a rib injury which was sustained through training and greatly affected his abilities throughout the fight. In the interview he stated "It's hard to hate the guy, he's been doing what I've been wanting to do and saying what I've wanted to say for a long time".
At Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Diaz met Scott Smith
Scott Smith (fighter)
Bryan Scott Smith, , is an American mixed martial artist previously fighting at middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship making his debut at UFC 59. He also fought for EliteXC before it folded and currently fights for Strikeforce...
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
Joe Riggs
Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...
at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. It was held in San Jose, California on August 15, 2009. The event aired live on the Showtime cable network and marked the first time two women headlined a major MMA event....
taking place on August 15, in which would have been a rematch of their first fight that took place at UFC 57: Couture vs Liddell 3
UFC 57
UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States.Headlining the card was an anticipated...
, in which both fighters fought in the cage and then again at the local hospital later in the evening. The fight would have been for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship but, Joe Riggs had to pull out of the bout due to an adverse reaction to a drug. Diaz was then scheduled to instead face Jay Hieron
Jay Hieron
James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....
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
Jesse Taylor
Jesse Marcus Taylor is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7, winning his entry, preliminary, quarterfinal and semi-final matches, and then became the only fighter to ever be removed from finals due to events that occurred...
replaced Diaz and the title was no longer on the line, Hieron defeated Taylor by unanimous decision.
Diaz faced Strikeforce newcomer Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis is a Lithuanian welterweight mixed martial artist. After fighting the majority of his career for British promotion Cage Rage, he signed with DREAM in 2009 and then, later that year, with Strikeforce. With DREAM, Žaromskis won their 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix and became their...
to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion on January 30, 2010 at Strikeforce: Miami
Strikeforce: Miami
Strikeforce: Miami was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on January 30, 2010 in Sunrise, Florida, United States at the BankAtlantic Center. The event aired live on Showtime in the US and on Super Channel in Canada.-Background:...
. 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
Guillotine choke
The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...
- quickly shrugged off by his opponent. The two men continued to exchange, with Diaz utilizing his unorthodox boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
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 and continued to punish 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 Hayato Sakurai
Hayato Sakurai
is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He has a professional MMA record of 35-11-2 as of April 5, 2009. Sakurai has been fighting in mixed martial arts since October 1996 and was at one time considered pound for pound one of the greatest fighters...
by submission (armbar) in a non-title bout at Dream 14. Diaz defeated KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 bout for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Diaz won via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-47, 49-46). Diaz defeated Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...
who had an 18-13 MMA record going into the bout on January 29, 2011 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg, was a mixed martial arts event that was held by Strikeforce on January 29, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, United States.-Background:...
via armbar in the second round. Diaz defeated Paul Daley
Paul Daley
Paul Daley is an English professional mixed martial artist who has fought for EliteXC, Cage Rage, Strikeforce, BAMMA, Maximum Fighting Championship, Cage Warriors, Shark Fights, Impact FC, Pancrase and the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce, the event took place on April 9, 2011, at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.-Background:This was the first "Arena Series" event under Zuffa management....
via TKO (punches) at 4:57 of round 1, and became the first Strikeforce fighter to successfully defend the welterweight belt 3 times in a row.
Strikeforce: Nashville brawl
During the post fight interview after Jake ShieldsJake Shields
Jake Shields is an American mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the welterweight division of the UFC. He is the last Rumble on the Rock 175 lb champion. He is the first and last Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He is also the former Shooto Middleweight Champion and is the former...
victory over Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson
Daniel Jeffery Henderson, is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler, who competes as a middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion...
, Jason Miller got access into the cage during the post-fight interviews and asked Shields, "Where's my rematch, buddy?". Both Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent. Currently fighting out of San Francisco, California, he formerly competed in the lightweight division of PRIDE Fighting Championships and now competes in Strikeforce...
and Jake Shields
Jake Shields
Jake Shields is an American mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the welterweight division of the UFC. He is the last Rumble on the Rock 175 lb champion. He is the first and last Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He is also the former Shooto Middleweight Champion and is the former...
pushed Miller away, which was followed by Diaz throwing the punch to start the brawl. Diaz, his brother Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent. Currently fighting out of San Francisco, California, he formerly competed in the lightweight division of PRIDE Fighting Championships and now competes in Strikeforce...
would then attack Miller while Miller was being restrained to the canvas. The fight was then broken up by referees, members of Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson
Daniel Jeffery Henderson, is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler, who competes as a middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion...
's corner and security. Miller, Diaz and four others were given three-month suspensions and fines of $5,000-$7,500.
Jason Miller has gone on record that he wants to fight Nick Diaz at 183 pounds, two pounds under his usual fighting weight of 185 and 13 pounds above Diaz's normal fighting weight of 170. Scott Coker
Scott Coker
Scott Coker is the founder and CEO of Strikeforce, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.Scott Coker is an Ernie Reyes protege and full-contact fight promoter covering Kickboxing, K-1, and MMA...
recently revealed that negotiations between the two fighters stalled when a 181 lb catchweight was offered by Diaz, and Miller refused. Diaz was willing to fight Miller provided that he would get his pay doubled.
Return to UFC
UFC president Dana White stated that a matchup between Diaz and UFC welterweight champion Georges St. PierreGeorges St. Pierre
Georges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...
was a possible consideration. Diaz and St.Pierre were rumored to be the next coaches for TUF 14 (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show, but the show debuted on September 21, 2011, with Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...
and Jason Miller as coaches. UFC president Dana White confirmed via Twitter that Diaz would face GSP at UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 29, 2011. Nick Diaz vacated his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship title prior to his bout with Georges St-Pierre Dana White made the decision to take Nick Diaz out of the fight and replace him with Carlos Condit
Carlos Condit
Carlos Joseph Condit is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.Condit initially received national attention for his run as the final WEC Welterweight Champion...
, due to Diaz missing multiple flights for a press event to support the fight. It was announced that Diaz would fight B.J. Penn in the main event at his original fight card, UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
. Diaz won via unanimous decision. Diaz called out Georges St. Pierre in the post-fight interview, who was scheduled to fight Carlos Condit at the same event but had been forced out of the bout with a knee injury. Diaz will now face Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 143
UFC 143
UFC 143 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event is expected to take place on February 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Announced bouts:...
.
Fighting style
Diaz is a Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
black belt under Cesar Gracie
Cesar Gracie
Cesar Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who trains a number of top fighters in Pleasant Hill, California. Gracie is a member of the Gracie family, the son of Sonja Gracie-Gronning and not to be confused with his cousin also named Cesar Gracie who is the son of Reylson Gracie.- Biography...
whom he has been training with since he was a teenager. He is accomplished in both gi
Jujutsugi
Jujutsugi is the Japanese name for a jujutsu training uniform.For traditional jujutsu only a judogi or a karategi is allowed....
and no-gi jiu-jitsu. Some of the major titles he has won include the US Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005. He also owns a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Patino
Jorge Patino
Jorge Luis Patino is a Brazilian vale tudo fighter whose career began in the 1990s. His style is focused around his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills. He is best remembered for his two epic vale tudo fights with Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons. Although he lost both fights, the pace and brutality of the fights...
in competition via kneebar. He is known for having a modified BJJ style that suits his MMA career very well. Diaz lists his favorite submission as the kimura. He is widely known for his impressive closed guard which he frequently uses in his fights. Diaz currently teaches jiu-jitsu at his and brother Nathan's school in Lodi, CA.
Diaz is also a professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and fights in the Super Middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
weight class. He made his professional debut in April 2005 against Alfonso Rocha at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. Diaz was victorious, winning by unanimous decision after four rounds. He has not fought since. To add to Nick and his brother Nathan's striking skills, they are now being trained by former WBA and WBC World Champion, Luisito Espinosa
Luisito Espinosa
Luisito Pio Espinosa is a retired boxer from the Philippines who won World titles in two different weight divisions....
and training with the highly skilled Jason "Gumby" Robison. Nick has also recently been training with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward
Andre Ward
Andre Ward is an American professional boxer and the current WBA super middleweight champion.Currently, Ward is rated among the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He is rated #6, #7 and #10 by Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, and The Ring...
.
Mixed Martial Arts
- StrikeforceStrikeforceStrikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
- Strikeforce Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Best of 2010 Awards: Fight of the Year vs. KJ NoonsKarl James NoonsKarl James "K.J." Noons is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and kickboxer who currently competes in the Strikeforce lightweight division and was also the first as well as last EliteXC Lightweight Champion. He Holds Notable Victories over Yves Edwards, Jorge Gurgel, Conor Heun, and Nick Diaz...
on October 9 - Best of 2010 Awards: Male Fighter of the Year
- World Extreme CagefightingWorld Extreme CagefightingWorld Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
- WEC Welterweight Championship (One time; First)
- Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipUltimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- International Fighting Championship
- IFC United States Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Ultimate Athlete
- King of the Mountain Welterweight Tournament Runner-up
- Inside Fights
- 2007 MMA Fight of the Year vs. Takanori GomiTakanori Gomi, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...
on February 24
- 2007 MMA Fight of the Year vs. Takanori Gomi
Mixed martial arts record
|-| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 26-7 (1)
| B.J. Penn
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 25–7 (1)
| Paul Daley
Paul Daley
Paul Daley is an English professional mixed martial artist who has fought for EliteXC, Cage Rage, Strikeforce, BAMMA, Maximum Fighting Championship, Cage Warriors, Shark Fights, Impact FC, Pancrase and the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce, the event took place on April 9, 2011, at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.-Background:This was the first "Arena Series" event under Zuffa management....
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:57
| San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 24–7 (1)
| Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...
| Submission (armbar)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg, was a mixed martial arts event that was held by Strikeforce on January 29, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, United States.-Background:...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:50
| San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 23–7 (1)
| KJ Noons
| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II, also known as Strikeforce: San Jose, was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on October 9, 2010 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, United States...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 22–7 (1)
| Hayato Sakurai
Hayato Sakurai
is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He has a professional MMA record of 35-11-2 as of April 5, 2009. Sakurai has been fighting in mixed martial arts since October 1996 and was at one time considered pound for pound one of the greatest fighters...
| Submission (armbar)
| Dream 14
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:54
| Saitama, Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 21–7 (1)
| Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis is a Lithuanian welterweight mixed martial artist. After fighting the majority of his career for British promotion Cage Rage, he signed with DREAM in 2009 and then, later that year, with Strikeforce. With DREAM, Žaromskis won their 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix and became their...
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Miami
Strikeforce: Miami
Strikeforce: Miami was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on January 30, 2010 in Sunrise, Florida, United States at the BankAtlantic Center. The event aired live on Showtime in the US and on Super Channel in Canada.-Background:...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:38
| Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 20–7 (1)
| Scott Smith
Scott Smith (fighter)
Bryan Scott Smith, , is an American mixed martial artist previously fighting at middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship making his debut at UFC 59. He also fought for EliteXC before it folded and currently fights for Strikeforce...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:41
| St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 19–7 (1)
| Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...
| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on April 11, 2009 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It was the first event promoted by Strikeforce after their acquisition of assets from the defunct EliteXC promotion through its parent company ProElite. It...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:57
| San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 18–7 (1)
| Thomas Denny
Thomas Denny (fighter)
Thomas Denny is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division, and is the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion....
| TKO (punches)
| EliteXC: Unfinished Business
EliteXC: Unfinished Business
EliteXC: Unfinished Business was a mixed martial arts event held by EliteXC on July 26, 2008 in Stockton, CA at Stockton Arena.The show was officially announced during the Showtime broadcast of EliteXC: Return of the King and the main event featured a rematch between Middleweight Champion Robbie...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:30
| Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 17–7 (1)
| Muhsin Corbbrey
Muhsin Corbbrey
Muhsin Corbbrey is an American mixed martial artist and former professional boxer. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin, a black dan in Judo, and is a Shidokan World Champion. He competes in the Lightweight division...
| TKO (punches)
| EliteXC: Return of the King
EliteXC: Return of the King
EliteXC: Return of the King was a mixed martial arts event promoted by EliteXC that took place on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Oahu, Hawaii. The main card aired live on Showtime. The Welterweight title bout of Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett was removed from the...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:59
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 16–7 (1)
| Katsuya Inoue
Katsuya Inoue
, is a Japanese mixed martil artist. He is the former 2-time interim Welterweight King of Pancrase . He has competed in the Pancrase organization since 2004 with a 8-1-1 record. He was awarded the interim Pancrase title with a TKO victory in the finals of the Pancrase - 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament...
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| Dream 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 6:45
| Saitama, Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 15–7 (1)
| KJ Noons
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| EliteXC: Renegade
EliteXC: Renegade
EliteXC: Renegade was a mixed martial arts event promoted by EliteXC that took place on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The main card aired live on Showtime. The main event featured a showdown between Nick Diaz and KJ Noons for the new EliteXC...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 15–6 (1)
| Mike Aina
Mike Aina
Mike Aina is an American mixed martial artist currently training at BJ Penn's MMA in Hilo, Hawaii. Aina's most memorable bout was against former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz at EliteXC: Uprising, which he lost by a controversial Split Decision even after Aina knocked Diaz down with...
| Decision (split)
| EliteXC: Uprising
EliteXC: Uprising
EliteXC: Uprising was a mixed martial arts event promoted by EliteXC and co-promoted by Icon Sport and Rumble World Entertainment. The event took place on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Oahu, Hawaii. The main card aired on Showtime, with 5 of the untelevised matches...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
|
|-
| NC
| style="text-align:center;"| 14–6 (1)
| Takanori Gomi
Takanori Gomi
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...
| No Decision (overturned by NSAC)
| Pride 33
PRIDE 33
Pride 33: The Second Coming was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on February 24, 2007 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:46
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 14–6
| Gleison Tibau
Gleison Tibau
Janigleison Herculano Alves, better known as Gleison Tibau is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is one of the largest lightweights in MMA, weighing up to 183 pounds by the time he enters the cage.-Mixed martial arts:He was brought up...
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 65
UFC 65
UFC 65: Bad Intentions was a mixed martial arts competition held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 18, 2006 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California – the UFC’s first show at this venue.-Background:...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:27
| Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 13–6
| Josh Neer
Josh Neer
Joshua Martin Neer is an American mixed martial artist from Des Moines, Iowa who is currently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championships. He trains at The LifeLine Youth Foundation and The Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. Neer is formerly an MFS Elite fighter...
| Submission (kimura)
| UFC 62
UFC 62
UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 26, 2006. The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada.The main event was a Light...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:42
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 12–6
| Ray Steinbeiss
| Decision (unanimous)
| ICFO 1: Stockton
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–6
| Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 59
UFC 59
UFC 59: Reality Check was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 15, 2006 at Arrowhead Pond, in Anaheim, California, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–5
| Joe Riggs
Joe Riggs
Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 57
UFC 57
UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States.Headlining the card was an anticipated...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–4
| Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
| Decision (unanimous)
| The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2005. Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 2 in both the Welterweight and Heavyweight divisions as well as a main event between Diego Sanchez and Nick...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 11–3
| Koji Oishi
Koji Oishi
Koji Oishi is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division. His won his fight at Pancrase - Passion Tour 3 against Isao Kobayashi on April 4, 2010...
| KO (punches)
| UFC 53
UFC 53
UFC 53: Heavy Hitters was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2005, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:24
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 10–3
| Drew Fickett
Drew Fickett
Drew Fickett is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He holds notable victories over Josh Koscheck, Dennis Hallman, Kenny Florian, Kurt Pellegrino, Josh Neer, Matt Veach, and Dennis Bermudez....
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 51
UFC 51
UFC 51: Super Saturday was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:40
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 9–3
| Karo Parisyan
Karo Parisyan
Karapet Parisyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.- Early life:...
| Decision (split)
| UFC 49
UFC 49
UFC 49: Unfinished Business was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 21, 2004, at the MGM Grand Arena in Paradise, Nevada...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 9–2
| Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler
Robert Glen "Robbie" Lawler is an American mixed martial artist Lawler was the EliteXC middleweight champion before EliteXC filed for bankruptcy. Lawler has recently signed with Strikeforce. He is a member of Team Hughes fighting out of H.I.T...
| KO (punches)
| UFC 47
UFC 47
UFC 47: It's On! was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 2, 2004 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:31
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 8–2
| Jeremy Jackson
Jeremy Jackson (fighter)
Jeremy Rea Jackson is an American mixed martial artist from California.-Career:Jackson's first professional MMA fight was on September 9, 2001 against Jake Shields in the Gladiator Challenge 6: Caged Beasts...
| Submission (armbar)
| UFC 44
UFC 44
UFC 44: Undisputed was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 26, 2003, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:04
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 7–2
| Jeremy Jackson
Jeremy Jackson (fighter)
Jeremy Rea Jackson is an American mixed martial artist from California.-Career:Jackson's first professional MMA fight was on September 9, 2001 against Jake Shields in the Gladiator Challenge 6: Caged Beasts...
| TKO (punches)
| IFC WC 18: Big Valley Brawl
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4:33
| Lakeport, California
Lakeport, California
Lakeport is an incorporated city and county seat of Lake County, California. Lakeport is located on the west shore of Clear Lake, at an elevation of 1355 feet...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 6–2
| Joe Hurley
| Submission (kimura)
| WEC 6
WEC 6
WEC 6: Return of a Legend was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 27, 2003 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The event was centered around the return of MMA superstar Frank Shamrock taking on Bryan Pardoe. Shamrock had been retired and...
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:55
| Lemoore, California
Lemoore, California
Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 5–2
| Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Kuniyoshi Hironaka
is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.After Mizuto Hirota vacated the Cage Force Lightweight Championship, Kuniyoshi Hironaka defeated Yoshihiro Koyama at Cage Force 12 to become the new belt holder....
| Decision (split)
| Shooto: Year End Show 2002
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Chiba, Chiba
Chiba, Chiba
is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000....
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 5–1
| Harris Sarmiento
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| Warriors Quest 8: Young Guns
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:47
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"| 4–1
| Jeremy Jackson
Jeremy Jackson (fighter)
Jeremy Rea Jackson is an American mixed martial artist from California.-Career:Jackson's first professional MMA fight was on September 9, 2001 against Jake Shields in the Gladiator Challenge 6: Caged Beasts...
| TKO (punches)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:49
| Auberry, California
Auberry, California
Auberry is a census-designated place in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 2,369 at the 2010 census, up from 2,053 at the 2000 census...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 4–0
| Adam Lynn
| Submission (armbar)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:51
| Auberry, California
Auberry, California
Auberry is a census-designated place in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 2,369 at the 2010 census, up from 2,053 at the 2000 census...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 3–0
| Blaine Tyler
| TKO (punches)
| UA 4: King of the Mountain
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:01
| Auberry, California
Auberry, California
Auberry is a census-designated place in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 2,369 at the 2010 census, up from 2,053 at the 2000 census...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 2–0
| Chris Lytle
Chris Lytle
Chris Scott Lytle is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer and a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle was prominently featured as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In Chris's MMA and boxing career he was never knocked out or submitted, though he did...
| Decision (unanimous)
| IFC Warriors Challenge 17
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5:00
| Porterville, California
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"| 1–0
| Mike Wick
| Submission (triangle choke)
| IFC Warriors Challenge 15
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3:43
| Oroville, California
Oroville, California
Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 at the 2000 census...
, United States
|
Boxing record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Date | Round | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center" Win | 1–0 |  Alfonso Rocha |
UD | 4 | Radisson Hotel, Sacramento Sacramento Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
Boxing Debut |