Was Nate Diaz ever good at fighting? That depends on who you ask.
The retired UFC welterweight, who captured the glass trophy on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), holds wins over former UFC lightweight champions Conor McGregor and Anthony Pettis, as well as ex-PRIDE titleholder Takanori Gomi.
But the 40 year-old Diaz (21-13) was also soundly defeated by former UFC lightweight champions Ben Henderson and Rafael dos Anjos, and finished by “bitchass” ex-Strikeforce titleholder Josh Thomson.
“Nate
Diaz, he’s the most puzzling,” former UFC welterweight, Ben Askren, told Daniel Cormier. “I don’t even think he’s that good, but he has convinced people he’s good at fighting somehow, some way. Look at his damn record. He was average. His record is 21-13. That’s not that great. Within the UFC, he was 16-12. Please don’t post this clip because the Diaz Army will attack me. His fans are rabid.”
And there’s no bigger Diaz fan than UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik.
There’s an argument to be made that Diaz was a bigger star for his personality and ability to move the needle than he was for his skills inside the Octagon. You can also argue his stock is now at an all-time low, judging by the failure of this event, which may be attributed to his embarrassing performance against celebrity boxer Jake Paul back in summer 2023.
