Nick Diaz
A long-time fan favorite, Nick Diaz initially won WEC’s welterweight title before his first stint in the UFC began in 2003.
That spell in the Octagon saw Diaz going 6-4 overall. He left the UFC in 2006. After a brief stint in PRIDE, he moved on to Elite XC. He settled in Strikeforce, where his popularity continued to grow.
After defeating ex-UFC legend Frank Shamrock, Diaz won Strikeforce’s welterweight title. He defended it against KJ Noons, Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos, and Paul Daley. At that point, he was riding a 10-fight winning streak and was one of the hottest properties outside of the UFC. Diaz then got a second chance in the UFC, and it began well with a decision victory over BJ Penn.
A fight with Carlos Condit for the interim 170-pound belt followed. But he lost by unanimous decision. Diaz tested positive for marijuana afterwards, leading to a lengthy suspension. Still a big star, Diaz found himself in an immediate title fight against Georges St-Pierre upon his return. But again he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and appeared to go into retirement afterwards. Two years later in 2015, Diaz returned for another blockbuster. He moved up to middleweight to fight Anderson Silva and again lost on the scorecards. That was overturned to a no-contest after Silva tested positive for steroids. Now 36, Diaz hasn’t fought in almost five years since that run, leaving his overall UFC record standing at 7-6 (1 NC).
