One of the most memorable moments of Nate Diaz’s UFC career happened on this day in 2021.
Diaz has long been one of the biggest fan favorites in the sport of mixed martial arts, having thrilled fans inside the Octagon and drawn plenty of headlines for his actions outside of it.
With that in mind, the Stockton star isn’t short on notable wins, scraps, and brawls throughout his combat sports career. Among them is Diaz’s upset win over Conor McGregor, as well as numerous press conference interactions that saw tempers flare.
A more recent moment came at UFC 263 just four years ago. While Diaz was handily beaten at the event, he once again did something to ensure that his stock would only rise in defeat.
Nate Diaz rocked Leon Edwards late on after one-sided UFC 263 fight
UFC 263, headlined by Israel Adesanya’s second win over Marvin Vettori, featured Diaz’s first fight in almost two years. He hadn’t been seen since a doctor’s stoppage loss to Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 244 main event at Madison Square Garden.
The Californian returned straight into the fire, sharing the cage with the in-form Leon Edwards, who would go on to find championship success in the UFC.
For close to the full five rounds, the British fighter established his dominance on the feet to move clear on the scorecards. But ‘Rocky’ didn’t stay perfect for the full 25 minutes.
As the final minute approached, Diaz landed a brutal straight left hand that put Edwards on wobbly legs. The image of Diaz pointing at his hurt opponent has gone down as one of the best pictures from his lengthy career.
After surviving to hear the final horn and having his hand raised by way of a lopsided decision, Edwards explained the late scare during an appearance on the Blockparty podcast.
“24 minutes of schooling him,” Edwards said. “It was so easy I got bored whilst I was fighting him.
“Otherwise, let’s say if it was first or second round, it never would have landed. The reason why it didn’t land is because I was alert and sharp. I thought, ‘Okay, this fight’s kinda easy, it’s last minute,’ but then he caught that shot.”
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Nate Diaz has a three-man hitlist for his UFC return
Diaz competed once more in the UFC after the defeat against Edwards.
The Stockton native fought out his contract at UFC 279 in September 2022, where he was originally set to headline against Khamzat Chimaev. After the Chechen’s weight issues, Diaz instead faced Tony Ferguson and submitted him.
Diaz has since plied his trade in the boxing ring, losing to YouTuber-turned-pugilist Jake Paul before getting revenge against former UFC rival Masvidal.
Now, three years on from his exit, the fan favorite has his sights on an Octagon return.
“I plan on going back to the UFC,” Diaz said on the HJR Podcast. “If they have me, I would like to go back and f—– whoop someone’s ass there.
“Whenever he’s back,” Diaz added, when asked about a trilogy fight with McGregor. “Me and him for sure got unfinished business. Got to happen.”
Diaz also teased a pursuit of Max Holloway’s BMF title, which he was the first to fight for alongside Masvidal, and maybe even a big-name clash with Ilia Topuria.
“It’s the most entertaining s— there is,” Diaz said of the BMF title. “I hope you know you’re wearing my belt.
“Those are the guys right there who I wanna fight, like Max Holloway. But, besides that, I would like to fight other guys really good too. … Topuria, he’s really good.”