1. vs. Conor McGregor- UFC 196
This should come as no surprise to anyone reading this. The most impactful finish of Nate Diaz’s career came at UFC 196 when he choked out Conor McGregor.
Diaz called out McGregor after his unanimous decision win over Michael Johnson back in December. His profanity-laced post-fight interview went viral and made Dana White and the UFC take notice. Sure enough when Raphael Dos Anjos had to pull out of the fight last minute, there was Diaz to step in.
After getting dropped a few times in the early going, Nate kept coming forward as Conor began to tire. When Conor saw that Nate would keep pushing the pace no matter how hard he hit him, he panicked. Conor then went for an ill-advised takedown, allowing Nate to use his superior BJJ and end up locking in an RNC for the win.
