Nate Diaz made an ultra-rare mistake before facing a giant name 11 years ago today.
The Stockton star shared the cage with some all-time greats during his 15-year stint under the UFC banner, during which he grew into one among MMA’s hottest names and largest stars.
Diaz memorably beat Conor McGregor and likewise faced the likes of Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard, Jorge Masvidal, Tony Ferguson, Melvin Guillard, and Takanori Gomi contained in the Octagon.
Among the many former champions the fan favorite faced was Rafael dos Anjos, who had his hand raised after getting the higher of a surprisingly obese Diaz.
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What’s your favorite memory from Nate Diaz’s 15-year UFC profession?
The Stockton star debuted by winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2007 and went out with a victory at UFC 279 in 2022.
Nate Diaz missed weight by an enormous amount before losing to Rafael dos Anjos
UFC on Fox 13 took place on today, December 13, in 2014. The event was headlined by Junior dos Santos’ victory over Stipe Miocic of their bloody five-round primary event.
Among the many notable names on the undercard were Diaz and Dos Anjos, who were tasked with meeting within the co-headliner after knockouts for Matt Mitrione and Alistair Overeem opened the primary card in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dos Anjos defeated Diaz on the scorecards, however the losing result was not the one blemish added to the Californian’s record in that fight 11 years ago.
The day before, Diaz had missed weight for the very first time in his profession. He tipped the scales 4.6 kilos over the 156-pound limit for non-title lightweight fights — the type of sizable miss that always puts fights in jeopardy.
The bout thankfully went ahead, with Diaz being fined 20 percent of his purse for a weight indiscretion that he has never repeated.
‘RDA’s’ dominant performance marked his third straight win and earned a shot at Anthony Pettis’ lightweight title that may ultimately prove to achieve success for the Brazilian.
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Nate Diaz wants a bit of Paddy Pimblett in his UFC comeback
While Diaz has been away from the Octagon since submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in 2022 and has had his give attention to the boxing ring, he has removed from ruled out a return.
In reality, Diaz sparked talk of a UFC comeback again recently by calling out a surprise name.
“I’m taking a look at (Paddy) Pimblett. Probably Pimblett,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
‘The Baddy’ currently has his sights on the interim UFC lightweight title. Pimblett will headline UFC 324 against Justin Gaethje on January 24, with the winner occurring to unify the belts against champion Ilia Topuria.
With that in mind, a clash between the Scouser and the Stockton native appears incredibly unlikely, especially on condition that Diaz has not fought at lightweight since 2015.
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